Ace Attorney Randomness
by Jenna Darknight
Summary: This is another Crackfiction challege I engaged in. Some are random and some are more on the romantic side, and I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I did writing them!
1. Inane Observations

(AN: This stems from another crackfic challenge, though this time the topic is Phoenix Wright. Note that this was written at about four in the morning so bear with my randomness.

Phoenix Wright and all related characters belong to Nintendo/Capcom.

Gumshoe+ Edgeworth. There's a running joke that Edgeworth will eventually dock Gumshoe's pay so far down that the poor detective will have to pay to work.)

Miles Edgeworth was not a very difficult man to please when it came to investigations. He simply wanted cold hard facts, and having obtained these, could argue his way into a guilty verdict more often than not. Cold facts were what had won him his fearsome reputation in court and made him one of the most sought after prosecutors in Japan. Therefore it was hardly surprising that the bane of his life was one Detective Dick Gumshoe.

It wasn't that the man was COMPLETELY incompetent, just that he had forgetful tendencies. He was also prone to jumping to conclusions. His assumption that the Fey girl had murdered her sister had lead to the first of many inglorious defeats that now littered Edgeworth's until then spotless record. While Gumshoe meant well, his actions always seemed to have the opposite affect of his intent. Edgeworth's only recourse was, of course to dock his pay, but even that didn't seem to be enough to change the bumbling detective's ways.

So it was that a rather bright and cheery Saturday found Edgeworth in a rather dark office poring over the latest batch of case files, thankful that all the botched cases the good detective had been involved with hadn't deterred people from requesting his services. Unlike the office of Fey and Co., Edgeworth often found himself flooded with requests even as he lost yet another case to Wright. There were perks to notoriety, Edgeworth noted rather smugly as he closed his current case file. Yes, things were looking better than last week, with that drive by shooting case that Gumshoe had given him a faulty ballistics report for, once again allowing Wright to pull yet another victory out of his hands. Ah, but it did no good to dwell on those thoughts, and turning his mind to the current case, Edgeworth found his smug, relatively sunny disposition returning.

Naturally, it was at that moment that Detective Gumshoe decided to come plowing through the door and into his office. Edgeworth found his grin quickly dropping down into a frown of displeasure, and his tone was laced with sarcasm as he said, "Ah, Detective, nice of you to drop by."

Dick, with all the perceptiveness of oatmeal, responded with a face cracking grin and, "Hey, pal, you'll never believe what I turned up on the Grayson-Anders homicide!'

Edgeworth could just FEEL the headache forming behind his eyes, rubbing the bridge of his nose, he looked up, "Oh, and what would that be?"

Gumshoe just stood there looking like the proverbial cat that swallowed the canary and Edgeworth found his patience disappearing with the passing seconds, "Well? OUT WITH IT, MAN!"

Gumshoe jumped a bit at the tone, but quickly recovered, "The victim, Grayson, had a lighter in his pocket!"

That was it; Edgeworth stood, and glared at Gumshoe, who finally picked up on his boss's irritation and had the good sense to quail, "How is that piece of INANE information of any use to me?! Don't even try to answer that, as I'm sure you have no clue. How did you ever become a detective? You're so dense it's amazing you've ever been able to figure out where this office is, let alone any crime scene! All of the cases you've worked on have been a complete and utter mess and have made me the laughing stock of the law community for months!!! I'm docking your pay so low; you'll have to pay to work for ME! Now get out of this office!" Gumshoe sat there, mouth agape, until Edgeworth barked out, "NOW, DETECTIVE!!!!!!"

Outside the receptionist, looked at the shell-shocked Gumshoe and said, "what was that about? I've never Heard Mr. Edgeworth yell like that."

Gumshoe looked over, looking for all the world like a kicked puppy, "I don't know…He didn't even give me time to tell him that the victim didn't smoke!"

(Don't get me wrong I love Gumshoe, he's probably one of the funniest characters in these games. It's just I have a feeling he'd irritate Edgeworth to the point where he'd give poor oblivious Gumshoe nine shades of holy Hell. And brownie points for anyone who can catch the DC comics reference in here. Please read and review!)


	2. Downtime     PhoenixMia

(AN: This is the second in my series of Phoenix Wright crackfic challenge. While most of my crackfics are humorous in nature, this one ended up being on the fluffy side. I don't write fluff generally, but I do like this one.

Phoenix Wright and related characters copyright Nintendo/Capcom.

Fried Noodle guy copyright me,

Write: Mia/ Phoenix involving a Teddy Bear.)

Mia Fey often times found herself wondering how Phoenix Wright had managed to worm his way into her life. Their first acquaintance had been as Attorney and Defendant, her, the rookie eager to prove his innocence and him, the rather troublesome defendant (Mia hoped to whatever god was listening that he'd be a better attorney than a witness). After the case was won and his innocence proven, she'd figured that would be the end of it, but she couldn't quite shake their parting.

As they walked out of the Courthouse, he'd turned to her and rather abashedly handed her his address and number saying, "In case you want to contact me…and since I know how to get in touch with you…would you mind if I asked you for help sometime?"

Mia looked at him as he'd stared at his feet, he meant well, even if he was a poor judge of character, and it wouldn't hurt to help him out. So she'd smiled and said, "Sure, I'd be glad to help."

And initially he'd done just that, asked her for help when he'd had problems on assignments, questioned her on her cases so he'd get a better understanding of what the real thing was like. Gradually it went from a friendly acquaintance to a strong friendship. After throwing himself into law, Mia'd been surprised to see how much Phoenix (or Nick, as she'd affectionately come to call him) had matured. He was focused and driven, yet still retained some of the compassion and sensitivity that he'd shown during his trial. His rather melodramatic tendencies were all but gone. However, every once in a while he'd do something that would cause her to question both his sanity and her own.

One of these incidents found her at a small festival in Gourd Lake Park. Mia found herself wondering how Nick had managed to pull her away from her rather large pile of case files sitting on her kitchen table, and talked her into coming to this. Oh, that was right…he'd used that voice. Over their friendship, Nick had developed a tone that sounded disappointed and hurt, and it got her every time he used it. She knew what he was doing, but couldn't help but cave.

The man himself was standing to her right and grinning like an idiot, "Isn't this great, Mia?"

Mia shook her head and groused, "It'd be better if you hadn't dragged me away from those files to get me here. Why did you want to come to this thing anyway?"

Nick actually looked a little embarrassed and suddenly found the ground fascinating as he said, "I thought you'd like it. You're always so busy with the cases Grossberg piles on you, I though you might like some down time."

Mia looked at him, standing there and shuffling his feet as he tried to avoid her gaze. She found a slow smile spreading across her face; he really was sweet sometimes. "Alright then, if I've got down time I might as well enjoy it. What do you want to do, Nick?"

Nick head shot up and his grin was back, "Alright! Well, there's the game booths over there…"

They ended up just wandering the booths, trying a few games here and there, and Mia found herself thinking it was the most fun she'd had in a long while. She couldn't remember how it happened, but at some point her hand ended up in his.

Since she'd proven herself a good defense lawyer in Phoenix's case, Grossberg had been steadily piling her with cases to the point where she'd been unable to kick back even if she'd wanted to. Nick had, as the load got heavier, come by more frequently to try and give her a hand and give her someone to grouse to, and he put up with her irritability quite well. He'd really been a blessing, she though idly as she watched Nick get verbally assaulted by a guy working the fried noodle stand. She had to bite back a chuckle at verbal battle's abrupt end, when the noodle guy pulled out a very large spatula and smacked Nick hard on the head. Defeated, he wandered back over to her, rubbing the back of his head.

He looked at her rather abashedly, "Well, that didn't go as planned…"

Mia just smiled and patted his shoulder, "It's okay. We can grab something on the way back." A chuckle managed to escape as she finished, "After all we can't have you getting mauled by all the food stand workers, now can we?"

Phoenix gave her a rather offended look, but Mia just laughed and slipped her hand into his. She watched as a blush crept onto his face and he hastily started off.

After another hour or so of just wandering together Mia sighed, "It's starting to get late, we should probably think about heading back into town."

Phoenix looked disappointed for a moment before he saw a certain booth. "Alright, but there's something I want to do first. I'll meet you by the car?"

"Sure, but-" She didn't get a chance to finish as he quickly headed off out of sight. She sighed as she watched him go, biting back an unfamiliar sense of disappointment. Surely it was just because the night was ended, not because Nick had left, wasn't it? She found herself questioning that as she headed out to her car. Nick didn't like driving and had never had anything beyond his trainers permit, so he generally carpooled with her or took a taxi. A few minutes after she'd finally located her car (she refused to admit it but she had a tendency to forget where she parked) Nick ran up panting and holding something behind his back.

Mia found herself laughing again as she said, "Nick, you didn't have to run back to the car, it's not like I was going to leave you here."

Nick had finally caught his breath and simply grinned before saying, "I know that, but I wanted to give you this before we left."

He held out a small teddy bear that he'd been hiding behind his back. He looked a little uncomfortable, "I saw one of the game booths had it and I thought, you might like a souvenir, you know? I mean, you don't have to take it if you don't want it…"

Mia smiled as she took it from him, and she wasn't sure if it was the gift or just the fact that he CARED that made her hook his head down and kiss him. He made a surprised sound when their lips touched, but he quickly reciprocated. It was a short but intense kiss that found them both out of breath and tangled up in each other.

Mia ran her fingers through Nick's thick hair and idly wondered how much hair gel he used in it before speaking, "Thanks Nick."

He blushed but pulled her closer, "For the gift or for tonight?"

Mia pulled his head down closer before whispering "Both." And pulling him into another kiss.

(AN: Yeah, in case you were wondering I do support this pairing (dodges flying fruit from Phoenix/Edgeworth fans and Maya/Nick fans), There were a lot of overtones for it in the first game, and I think, if events had gone differently, they would have ended up together. So, yeah, expect some more Nick/Mia stuff will probably show up on FF soon. Please comment and review, but no flames please!)


	3. Lesser of Two Evils EdgeworthGumshoe

Lesser of Two Evils

(AN: Again part of the Challenge. Enjoy the stupidity. Phoenix Wright and respective characters belong to Capcom.

Challenge: write Gumshoe x Miles + Franziska involving a frying pan and a spoon.)

While it was true different prosecutors reacted differently to the same situation, Gumshoe had discovered the hard way that Franziska Von Karma did not handle waiting well, as those who did not arrive at her office at the time specified had their faces acquainted with her whip. Having suffered the wrath of that infernal piece of leather several times himself, Gumshoe made a point of arriving at her office early, so that he could make it through his day with relatively few new welts (as NO welts was an uncommon occurrence when the young Von Karma was involved).

Today, however, Gumshoe found his feet dragging as he made his way down the oaken hallways of the prosecutors office. If the yelling coming from the 18 year-old prodigy's office was any indication, anyone who walked into the office right now would be promptly beaten into hamburger. Gumshoe, being rather fond of his face in non-ground beef form, was tempted to go sit out Franziska's temper tantrum in the break room. However, the instructions from the Chief of Detectives was quite explicit, as though aware of his scruffy officer's aversion to the lady prosecutor's office, in stating the report needed to be delivered immediately. And gumshoe, for whatever else he was, did follow orders (except for the time He helped Phoenix break into Chief Gant's office, but Gumshoe liked to pretend that didn't happen).

The yelling became more articulate at gumshoe warily approached Franziska's office. The voices belonged to Edgeworth and Franziska and, judging by the amount of fools being uttered but the latter, the argument was not going well. As Gumshoe finally reached the doorframe, the arguing died down, heartened by the lull; he put his hand on the door handle. Naturally, the argument escalated as he did so.

"I don't see how you can foolishly believe that this foolishly foolish statement will mean anything little brother."

Edgeworth's retort held an edge that indicated he was reaching the end of his patience, "Look Franziska, I don't see how it's any of you business. I said I'm taken and that should be the end of it."

Gumshoe slowly pushed the door in as Franziska retorted, "Fool, I know you are not seeing any woman at this time, so why continue with this charade."

Edgeworth pinched the bridge of his nose, "Look, I didn't say-"

He stopped as he saw Gumshoe meekly peek into the room. "Sorry to interrupt, Ms. Von Karma, but I have a document from the Chief of Detectives for you."

Edgeworth felt a smug smile turn the corners of his lips, and he gave Gumshoe a 'play along or I will dock your pay again' look. "Detective you were just in time. I guess our secrets out."

Now, gumshoe was dense, but not dense enough to ignore the signs, however he was unsure as to what Edgeworth was getting at, so he simply managed a weak, "Y-yeah?"

Knowing this was he only opportunity he'd have to get out of Franziska's clutches for a while, Edgeworth performed the act of a man choosing between the lesser of two evils. He walked up and kissed a very stunned and confused Gumshoe. Franziska's reaction was what was to be expected, although she used a plate and a spoon on her desk instead of her whip. Needless to say Gumshoe avoided the Prosecutor's office for a couple weeks, and was greeted on his next visit with a frying pan to the head courtesy of Franziska (that last part of the incident made Edgeworth almost sorry he hid her whip. Almost).

(Read and review, please.)


	4. Pal

(Again another of my crackfics.

Phoenix Wright and related chraracters belong to the folks at Capcom …who are nice people and don't want to sue me

Challenge: write Gumshoe + Will Powers involving a lost kitten.)

Will Powers had discovered early on in life that he would never be considered handsome. Most people considered his face somewhat frightening, so he'd hoped that by taking up acting, he could alleviate that misconception as he really was a nice guy. Unfortunately this often found him cast as villains for a majority of his college and early professional carrier. The "Steel Samurai" had changed that though, and Will had been thrilled to play a hero for once. He'd thoroughly enjoyed the job, despite all the minor injuries he'd suffered in run-thrus and the general discomfort of spending a majority of his day in a rubber suit that made him far too sweaty.

After his murder trial and acquittal, Will had found himself out of a job. He got to come on set one more time and play the hero for all the kids who had come to love the show. Then, with a heavy heart, he had to hang up that rubber suit that had been both a blessing and an irritant and walk out of Global Studios. Outside the employee area it was raining heavily, a reflection of his mood.

As he'd driven away from the studio in his Jetta, Will noticed the detective who'd been in charge of his case walking through the rain without an umbrella and holding something under his jacket.

Figuring it wouldn't hurt to be nice to the guy, Will pulled up a little way ahead of him and called out. "Hey, need a ride?"

The response was a somewhat muffled, "Thanks, Pal!"

The detective came up to the car and climbed in, "I thought I was going to drown on my way back to the precinct…. wait, weren't you the actor accused of killing Jack Hammer?"

Will sighed, "Yeah, Will Powers, and you are…?"

The detective grinned, "Oh, yeah, Detective Dick Gumshoe at your service. Thanks again for the ride, pal."

Will smiled, "No problem, just doing my good deed of the day. So, where to, Detective?"

Gumshoe fiddled with his trench coat for a minute before saying, "The Precinct would be great, pal."

Will nodded and pulled back out onto the street. After a couple minutes in awkward silence, Will finally asked, "I hope you don't mind my asking, but what's in your jacket?"

Gumshoe looked a bit ashamed and pulled out a little kitten with turtle-shell fur, "I found this little guy out behind a crime scene. It looks like he was abandoned out there. I was going to take him home with me, but I can't let him into the precinct. The Chief'll eat my badge for breakfast; he hates cats."

Will looked at the little guy when he stopped at a red light; it was a small, scrawny little kitten, obviously starved and the runt of the litter. The little guy's pitiful little bedraggled appearance reminded Will of his own wild appearance, and before he could think about it, he said, "I'll take him. I live alone so it shouldn't be a problem."

Gumshoe looked over at Will, "Really? That'd be great, pal! I'd really like to see this little guy get a home."

Will pulled up along the curb of the Precinct, "Here you are Detective, and just leave the kitten with me, I'll take good care of him."

Gumshoe grinned, but then he shifted slightly and he looked embarrassed.

Will looked at him curiously, "What is it?"

Gumshoe looked out the window, "It's...Nah, its nothing really."

Will shook his head, "Then why don't you just say it?"

Gumshoe grinned, "Well, can I visit him sometimes?"

Will blinked, then smiled, "Sure. Here let me give you my home address…" He scribbled his address down on a piece of scrap paper he had sitting on the dashboard.

Gumshoe shoved it into his pocket and climbed out of the car. Will watched as he waved jovially before heading into the Precinct.

Will looked down at the cat, "Well it's just you and me…what should I call you…?"

A few weeks later, Gumshoe swung by Global Studios. Will had been working on the "Pink Princess" pretty much nonstop, so Gumshoe figured this would be his only chance to see that little kitten. After avoiding the crazy security lady by sneaking around her as she rambled about irresponsibility in the police force, Gumshoe headed for the employee area. As he walked up to Will's room, the door swung open, revealing the man himself.

Will blinked and smiled, "Hey, Detective, here to see the little guy?"

Gumshoe grinned, "Yeah, how is he?"

Will went back inside briefly before coming out with the little kitten, which was looking considerably healthier than it had that rainy day. "He's doing good. And I finally named him too."

Gumshoe took the kitten in his arms and looked at Powers, "Really, pal? What's his name?"

Will grinned, "Pal."

(Please read and review.)


	5. Negatives

(A/N: Again part of the crackfic challenge. This piece is definitely not the best of the ones posted in this collection, but I welcome you to read and review this, idiot brainchild of mine though it may be.

Phoenix Wright and related Characters belong to Capcom…who are nice people and don't want to sue me.

Challenge: Furio Tigre vs. Phoenix Wright involving ice cream)

Phoenix had never been fond of the detention center, as it always seemed to result in his taking an unlikely case that had him fighting tooth and nail for a "Not Guilty" verdict. Today, however, was different. Earlier that morning he had received a call from the detention center. It had been a less than dignified moment for Phoenix as he had jumped and fallen out of bed at the blaring "Steel Samurai" ringtone (Maya threatened to curse him if he changed it, and he wasn't quite sure if she could do that or not, so he figured he'd let it slide until he could ask Mia about it the next time she was channeled.) and had stumbled around his apartment (stubbing his toe on his coffee table, falling over several pairs of shoes and a dirty plate resulting in a score of Apartment-4, Phoenix Wright-0) trying to find it.

The call had been odd to say the least, as the man on the other end of the line had stated Furio Tigre, the loan shark, had requested to speak to him. Phoenix was edgy about meeting anyone he'd managed to indict during trials, but Tigre was a special case. He not only eerily reminded Phoenix of himself, but Tigre had pretended to be him prior to his last case. So Phoenix found himself questioning his sanity as he sat in the uncomfortable folding hair provided for visitors and the guards went back to get Tigre.

As the small-time loan shark was led into the room, Phoenix observed his appearance. While he looked pissed as hell and somewhat tired, he hadn't changed all that much from the way he'd looked at the State vs. Byrde appeal four days ago. He was still wearing his gaudy Dragon-fighting-a-tiger shirt and, aside from the handcuffs, seemed to be little worse for the wear.

Tigre growled at Phoenix, making the other man lean back a bit further, before sitting down and grinning in a decidedly wolfish fashion.

Phoenix cleared his throat and said in a manner that hid his discomfort, "I understand you wanted to meet with me Mr. Tigre. I'm going to tell you there's very little chance I'd consider taking your case if that's what you wanted to talk about."

Tigre stared for a moment, and then laughed uproariously, confusing his counterpart, "Hire YOU?! You're joking right? After what you've done, you're lucky you're behind bullet proof glass!"

Phoenix scooted his cheap folding chair back a bit more, "Then why did you want to talk to me?"

Tigre leaned closer to the glass, and spoke in a confidential tone, "I wanted to see if you'd come, honestly. I was told that in court the resemblance between us was uncanny, but now I see you're nothing like me. You're far too nice. You sit there and act as though you're all high and mighty but really, when it comes down to it, you're weaker than me. Admit it and I'm done here."

Phoenix's face had gotten progressively colder as Tigre had continued and his tone was frosty as he stood, "Tigre, you're right about one thing, I'm nothing like you. I'm STRONGER."

Tigre yelled after Phoenix as the latter strode out of the visitor's room confidently. As he walked down the steps of the detention center, his phone went off again.

He picked it up and smiled, "Hey, Maya. No, I'm not doing anything right now. Sure I can meet you for ice cream…."

(Comments and criticisms welcomed.)


	6. Day in The Life of Damon Gant

(A/N: This is the first crackfic that isn't based around a pairing and I have to say it was a blast to write. Enjoy the randomness!

Phoenix Wright and related characters belong to Capcom…who are nice people and don't want to sue me.

Challenge: a day in the life of Damon Gant.)

Damon Gant had a fairly regimented morning routine. He woke up at 5:00 A.M., showered, dressed, ate breakfast, and was in the precinct by 7:00 A.M. on the dot. Living alone in his austere apartment had allowed him to maintain this regime since he had joined the police force. The previous Chief of police had been an early riser too, so he'd never had any problem getting in to work.

Gant had to force down a sigh of resignation as he walked through the Detective's department. The office was all but in shambles, with papers askew and everywhere, desk chairs at random places throughout the room and that blasted Blue Badger of the Chief of Detective's sitting in the middle of the room. Yesterday had been a trial run for the Chief's creation (although Gant knew for a fact that the scruffy Dick Gumshoe had actually put the blasted thing together. The fact that he could make something that worked still astounded Gant.), but it had broken down and been brought into the detectives department instead of the logical place, the evidence room.

Deciding he'd have to have a "chat" with the good Chief of Detectives (translated: give him nine shades of holy hell.), Gant made his way up to his office. After unlocking his door he headed straight for his beloved organ (what the taxpayers didn't know wouldn't hurt them). Cracking his knuckles, Gant started into a rather enthusiastic rendition of "Moonlight Sonata". He sometimes used the organ as punishment, but it really was there as a way for him to think through problems. He'd learned piano at a young age, and music always seemed to be conducive to though for him. He'd solved quite a few cases sitting at this organ, and after he'd finished the piece he patted the varnished wood fondly before walking over to his desk.

After spending most of the morning dealing with paperwork (and reading the Chief of Detectives the riot act for a good half hour), Gant headed out to meet his good friend "Udgy" for lunch. It was a fairly short lunch, as "Udgy" had to go preside over the trial of that celebrity from that kids show (Gant made a point of staying out of celebrity cases, and as such wasn't familiar with the details).

On the way back up to his office Gant ran into Detective Gumshoe, who was in the process of hauling the broken Blue Badger back to the evidence room (where Gant devoutly hoped it would remain and subsequently be forgotten). The Detective had cheerily greeted his superior before continuing on his merry way. Gant shook his head as he watched him go, before heading up to his office.

As Gant moved to sit down at his desk, he noticed the message light on his phone flashing.

Hitting it, a somewhat fuzzy voice came on over the speaker, "Damon, its Lana…Call me back."

Gant, had the phone in his hand as soon as he recognized the voice, but didn't make the cal until the message had finished. "Lana, I got your message. What did you need to talk about?"

Lana's voice on the other end sounded worn down and tired, "Damon…how badly do you need the conviction on the Harrison case? The prosecutor set to deal with the case is Prosecutor Payne, and you know how his cases have been since two years ago…"

Gant sighed, "Lana, we need that conviction, otherwise we'll end up dealing with a lot of public scrutiny for the rest of the investigation. I would suggest putting Von Karma on it, as I understand Edgeworth is already involved in a case."

"But if we're convicting the wrong man-"

"Lana, you do know what I can do to Ema…please keep that in mind."

There was silence on the other end for a beat then, "fine, I'll inform Von Karma that he's in charge of prosecution."

As Lana hung up, Gant smiled to himself and slouched back in his chair and smugly thought, _It's good to be Chief of Police_.

(Please read and review)


	7. Borrowed Time PhoenixMia

(AN: Rather than coming from my usual source of challenges, this came from DancingBrain, who sent in a challenge as a review.

Challenge: Phoenix x Mia channeled through Maya

Phoenix Wright and related characters belong to Capcom…who are nice people and don't want to sue me.)

Something always seemed to be missing from the office after Mia's death. Even after the shock and sorrow over her passing had somewhat dissipated over time, there was still a sense, at least to Phoenix, of a profound absence, a wrong chord in the melody of the workday activities of Wright & Co. Law Offices. Even in the middle of a case, Phoenix would as though he misplaced something valuable, but couldn't place what. It was never really clear, but then Phoenix had never been particularly good with his emotions.

Two months after Mia's death Phoenix found himself working on his latest case at four in the morning at the office. Maya had been over helping him, but had eventually fallen asleep on the couch, with various papers and notes scattered around her. Phoenix stood up and walked over to the window, staring at the Gatewater hotel as he let his mind run over the case. These late nights had become a common occurrence since the State vs. Fey case, and Phoenix often found himself wondering if Mia had dealt with the kind of stress that he had the day before the first trail day. She'd always seemed so in control of herself that Phoenix doubted it. Shaking his head to gather his thoughts, Phoenix turned back towards the pile of papers and evidence that had accumulated on his desk over the course of the day's investigation. His notes had, as the night had gone on, gotten sloppier and he doubted he'd be able to read them come the trial.

The rustle of papers pulled Phoenix out of his thoughts and he turned to see Mia, channeled through Maya, watching him.

Phoenix found a smile forming on his lips, "Hi, Mia."

Mia didn't respond at first, instead taking in the amount of papers in disarray, and a trace of a laugh was in her voice as she spoke, "Hello Phoenix, burning the candle at both ends, I see."

Phoenix blushed slightly, "I tend to not get any sleep the night before the first trial day, so I figured I could be somewhat productive…"

Mia stood and walked towards him, the pale yellow light coming from the hotel draping her borrowed form, "Most of the things I put together during my late night sessions were rarely any help I the trial itself." She stepped closer and her tone softened, "You look tired, Nick. Even lawyers have their limits and while I know you're trying to do your best by your client, you do need to take care of yourself too."

Phoenix wasn't quite sure if it was his exhaustion that broke down his resolve or if it was something more, but every logical argument that had forbade him from acting on his emotions since he'd met Mia two years ago crumbled. In a swift motion Phoenix brought his head down and captured Mia's lips in a chaste kiss. Mia stiffened briefly, but relaxed into and deepened the kiss, forgetting for the moment that she was in a borrowed body and on borrowed time.

Phoenix finally broke the kiss and leaned his forehead on hers as the magnitude of his actions settled on his shoulders. His voice was rough as he spoke, "Mia…I'm sorry. I shouldn't have presumed…especially not the way things are now."

Mia leaned in closer, "Don't be sorry. I just wish the circumstances were different. We can't pursue this any further, "

Phoenix choked back the lump forming in his throat, "I know, but the doesn't change the fact that I love you, Mia. It took me long enough to realize it."

Mia brought her hand up to his cheek and murmured, "...Just for tonight.

Phoenix looked up, "What?"

Mia smiled at him, "just for tonight let's live a little on my borrowed time."

As small smile graced her lips as she brought his head down for another kiss.

(Commentslove)


	8. Caffiene'll Kill Ya! GodotMia

(A/N: this was a request from another reviewer, GigoLove9. I'm not crazy about Godot/Mia or Godot in general so this was actually really hard to come up with, ad ended up being very short and very light.

Phoenix Wright and related characters belong to Capcom…who are nice people and don't want to sue me.

Challenge: Write Godot/ Mia (channeled) involving paint.)

Godot considered the first day after he'd awoken from his coma as the worst day of his life. He not only found out he was blind, but he'd been informed that Mia Fey, his colleague and (briefly) his girlfriend had been murdered two years back. However, he'd found an easy scapegoat in Phoenix Wright, her protégé and the man currently running the firm she'd started. Mr. Wright was a convenient target to take all his self-loathing out on and, as such, he had cast aside the name of Diego Armando, defense attorney, and become Godot, the prosecutor.

One wrench in the system he hadn't been expecting when it came to dealing with Mr. Wright was Mia. While yes, she was dead, her sister and cousin (Godot found out the relationship after spending a day or so investigating the Wright & Co. Law Offices) seemed to be able to channel her. With his white hair and the neural visor covering half of his face, he doubted she'd recognize him, however, which was both a blessing and a curse.

After receiving another beating from Wright (Godot was never sure if it was because he didn't have much experience prosecuting or Mia's intervention that perpetuated Wright's winning streak), he strode into the small private office he'd started renting shortly after he awoke from his coma. The first thing different he noticed was the smell, as the room had the strong odor of wet acrylic paint. Carefully walking over to his desk, Godot picked up a small note that was written in bold flowing print.

_Diego_

_I do know it's you who's been prosecuting against Phoenix recently; the visor didn't fool me. Chances are though, that you haven't recognized me. I had Phoenix do some research to find where your office was and thought to do you a favor by painting it. _

_Mia_

Godot smiled for a minute before walking over to the light switch and clicking it on. Looking around he realized that while the walls weren't the drab brown they'd been before; he couldn't really tell what they were.

"Damn, she painted them red." Godot shook his head before he noticed a postscript on the note.

P.S. While I was here I took your coffee. If you won't voluntarily cut back, I'll make you.

The neighbors would later complain about the screaming.

(Reviews love.)


	9. Chain of Command GantVonKarma

(A/N: This was requested by LazyCatfish27, and I managed to get away with a little bit more implied stuff in this one, simply because with Gant and Von Karma, it's not that much of a stretch. Enjoy!

Phoenix Wright and related characters belong to Capcom…who are nice people and don't want to sue me.

Challenge: write Manfred Von Karma x Damon Gant)

Manfred Von Karma was never very fond of Damon Gant. He would admit that the man was very good at what he did, and they worked well professionally, however, personally, Von Karma would have like to stab the man in the neck with a steak knife. He didn't like Gant's work ethic or his habit of "looking out for Numero Uno", as he put it. There was very little that would make von Karma think Gant was anything but a self-centered egoist, or make him tolerate the man.

If asked Gant would say the same thing about Von Karma. He found the elder prosecutor to be stuffy, unforgiving and a bit of a pompous ass. His constant pontificating on the pursuit of perfection bored Gant to tears, and Gant actually pitied Edgeworth for having to grow up around the man. He respected Von Karma's skill as a prosecutor, but other than that found his extremely unpleasant.

Naturally, finding out that Von Karma was heading to the precinct to talk to him made Gant visibly irritated. He'd been informed via a call from Lana (who was understandably relieved that she was at the Prosecutor's Office and nowhere near the potential ground zero) that the prosecutor was already on his way and had a matter of some importance to discuss. Grumbling to himself, Gant sat down at his organ and began playing. He kept playing until a walking stick collided with the back of his head and knocked him off of the bench.

Gant sat up rubbing his head, "What the Hell, was that for Von Karma?! I wasn't even doing anything."

"Exactly. You were supposed to be meeting with me. Your officers have been supplying insufficient evidence for the Mansfield case, and I demand to know why."

Gant glared at the other man, but pulled his injured dignity around him like a cloak and stood up, "Well, You could have tapped me on the shoulder like a regular person, you know."

Von Karma tapped his foot impatiently, "I did call your name; several times, in fact. It's not my fault that your infernal instrument drowns out all sound in your vicinity. But you've failed to answer my question; why did your officers not find sufficient evidence?"

Gant leaned against the organ and scratched his ear, "Well, if they didn't find it that means it's not there, Manny."

Von Karma glared at Gant, "Damon, for the last time, my name is not Manny. And I was told there was more evidence than what has been turned over to me; I demand to see it."

Gant grinned, glad to be ruffling von Karma's feathers, "Maybe there is and maybe there isn't. We gave you everything pertinent to the case, and that should be enough for you."

Von Karma ground out, "You do not have the right to determine what is pertinent to MY perfect case, Damon. Don't ever mistake that in my cases, I am the one controlling things."

Gant moved a bit closer, enjoying beating Von Karma around. However, he did not expect to have his legs swept out from underneath him by Von Karma's walking stick. He fell backwards and landed with his shoulders and head pressed up against the keys of the organ, sending out a cacophony of notes. Von Karma leaned over Gant and placed his hands on either side of Gant's head, adding to the discordant tones emanating from the Organ.

Von Karma brought his head lower, "You know, Gant, you should really learn who is in charge in this…relationship."

Nobody else in the building was quite sure what happened in that meeting, except that there were long dissonant chords from the organ for about an hour and a half. Also Chief Gant would always stutter and change the subject when asked about it.

Von Karma, however, would grin and say, "I just set up the chain of command."

(please drop a comment if you feel so inclined.)


	10. Overenthusiasm MaggeyGumshoe

(AN: this was a request I received for the forum. It's short, but I was rather pleased with it. Enjoy!

Phoenix Wright and related characters belong to Capcom…who are nice people and don't want to sue me.

Challenge: Write Gumshoe/Maggey)

Gumshoe always made a point in keeping a friendly relationship between himself and the officers under him. It not only helped in terms of investigations, but Gumshoe genuinely was interested in helping his fellow officers when they needed it. He claimed that he modeled his relationship with the lower ranked officers after the Police Department's relationship with the Prosecutors' Office.

Gumshoe was all but sprinting through the halls of the Police department, as Franziska was demanding a certain piece of evidence (and if she didn't get it, there would be pay cuts and new welts). As he caught his breath outside the evidence room, he noticed Officer Byrde approaching him. This was fairly normal, as she'd been on break, but what caught Gumshoe's attention was a very long, narrow bruise on her face.

His interest piqued gumshoe called out, "Officer Byrde!"

Maggey looked over and walked over to where Gumshoe was leaning up against the wall. She gave him her usual enthusiastic salute, and winced, "Detective Gumshoe, sir! How are you?"

Gumshoe smiled, "I'm fine, pal. I actually wanted to ask about you."

Maggey looked confused, "Me, sir? Why?"

"Well, you've got a nasty bruise on you head, pal. You mind telling me where you got it?"

Maggie looked rather embarrassed, "Well, sir, yesterday I was out on patrol and I saw Chief Prosecutor Skye. She waved at me and so I thought I should salute, as she is Chief Prosecutor, and, well…I kinda, saluted too hard and gave myself a bruise."

Most people would have laughed outright at such a story, but Gumshoe had supervised Officer Mike Meekins a couple of times and he know the results of overenthusiastic salutes all too well (considering the man in question actually gave himself a minor concussion from a salute once).

Gumshoe straightened up and said, "Why don't you take the rest of the day off and give that some time to heal? There aren't any big investigations today, and the best thing you can do for that is put some ice on it." As he saw Maggey's hand go up to perform her habitual salute he quickly said, Oh, and don't salute anyone on the way out, it'll probably make that worse."

Maggey rather abashedly lowered her hand, but brightened and kissed Gumshoe lightly on the cheek, "Thank you, sir! I'll see you tomorrow."

Gumshoe waved after her, grinning stupidly. Even Franziska's "punishment" (read: abuse via whip) for not being timely with the evidence couldn't wipe it off.

(Reviews are love, people)


	11. Semantics PhoenixMia

(A/N: Another of my many crackfic challenges. Enjoy the fluffy goodness!

Phoenix Wright and related characters belong to Capcom…who are nice people who don't want to sue me.

Challenge: Write Phoenix/Mia involving the dinner from 1-1)

When Mia had said they should have a celebratory dinner, Phoenix hadn't thought much of it. The thrill of a "not guilty" verdict had completely blocked out the implications of such a statement. He had come out of the courtroom repressing the thrill of success until the guards had shut the door of the Defense Lobby, after which he promptly swept Mia off her feet into a rough bear hug and spun her around, grinning like a maniac.

Mia had laughed at his enthusiasm and after he had stopped spinning her around (but hadn't let her out the bear hug) had simply said, "Congratulations, Phoenix!"

Phoenix grinned at her, "Thanks Chief, I couldn't have done it without you!"

It slowly dawned on him that he was holding his boss in a somewhat suggestive manner, and he blushed furiously as he gently set her down. Phoenix had started to stammer an apology when, Larry (for once in his life Phoenix thanked god he was loud and overdramatic) burst into the Lobby talking about how his life was over. Somewhere in the midst of trying to calm Larry down (as he'd had another fit of depression leaving the courthouse) Phoenix would later remember that Mia had said they should go out for dinner to celebrate later that night.

Of course it didn't click in his head that DINNER equals DATE until there was an hour or so before they were done for the day. So Phoenix found himself in a panicky state somewhere between bed-wetting and a near death experience as the clock slowly marched towards the end of the office day. He'd avoided dating after the Dahlia Hawthorne debacle and had thrown himself entirely into his education and, more recently, his job. Really, the only interaction with a woman he'd had in those two years was with Mia, and Phoenix often found his thoughts running in directions they most likely shouldn't, considering Mia was his boss.

After trying to occupy himself by wearing a track into the floor of the office, Phoenix finally decided to try and look at the positive. Sure, this was a date, but he didn't need to get so worked up about it. If Mia enjoyed the evening, then he'd be happy.

As the evening light pored into the offices of Fey & Co., Mia stepped out into the reception area, and locked the door to her office. Phoenix watched her form, cloaked in the tones of the sunset, in admiration before remembering she was his _boss_, and mentally berating himself. He didn't notice Mia's approach until the warmth of her hand on his shoulder pulled him out of his mental tirade. He looked up and blushed at their close proximity.

This, of course, made the situation worse, as Mia leaned closer and said, "Nick, are you feeling alright? You look rather flush."

Phoenix figured at this point it'd be prudent to back up and try to respond without making a total ass of himself. As he backed up a few steps, he said, "I'm fine Chief. You ready to head out?"

Mia frowned for a moment before brightening up a bit, "Yes, actually. I thought we could go to that Chinese place downtown."

As Mia drove to the restaurant Phoenix found himself once again watching her. Mia, for her part, was unnaturally quiet as she drove. Generally, when she gave him a lift to or from work, the car was filled with their amiable conversation. Tonight, however, there was a tense silence, each waiting for the other to speak. Phoenix finally cleared his throat, making Mia visibly jump.

Phoenix chuckled, "You seem to be jumpy tonight, Mia." _So am I though, _he added silently.

Mia blushed, "What makes you think I'm jumpy, Phoenix?"

Phoenix tapped a finger against the armrest, "Well, lets see…you physically jumped a bit in your seat, you're blushing like crazy, and you called me Phoenix." He ticked off each of the reasons on his fingers, ginning at Mia.

Mia found herself smiling, even as she tried to glare at her impudently grinning employee, "What's wrong with me calling you Phoenix?"

"Well, you don't usually call me Phoenix unless we're in a professional situation or you're nervous."

Mia smiled, "That's true isn't it? Is it that obvious when I'm nervous?"

Phoenix nodded, "Not really, but you drop into professional mode when you get nervous. It's not a very big shift, but I've known you long enough to pick up on it."

Mia was quiet for a moment and her tone had softened considerably when she spoke again, "I didn't know you paid attention to me that closely, Nick."

Now it was Phoenix's turn to be nervous as he loosened his tie a bit and said, "We've known each other for three years now, Chief. I made it a point to know how to read what you're feeling."

Mia glanced at him and said in a somewhat reproachful tone, "Now you're being formal, Nick."

Phoenix ran a hand through his thick hair, "Sorry, Mia."

He laughed and, as Mia pulled up to a stoplight, extended a hand, "No more formality tonight, deal?"

Mia smiled at her protégé and friend, and grabbed his hand in a firm, sure grip, "Deal."

The rest of the way to the restaurant was fairly relaxed, but that slight undertone of tension remained, like a coiled string waiting to be played. The restaurant itself was a small, but clean, family run place. Most of the decorations were limited to paper lanterns, two dragon carvings and a phoenix carving on the back wall, and a Buddha by the cash register.

After they had placed their orders, Phoenix said, "So how did you find this place Mia? I thought you didn't eat out much."

Mia leaned forwards and crossed her arms on the table. As she spoke a fond smile tugged at the corner of her lips, "My sister and I came here last time we got together. She generally wants to go out for burgers, but I insisted we go somewhere else for once."

"I didn't know you had a sister."

Mia's smile widened, "Yes, her name is Maya and she's about ten years younger than I am. What about you, Nick?"

Phoenix slouched a little in his chair, "I'm an only child, so Larry's probably the closest I've ever had to a brother."

The evening went by relatively quickly, far to quickly in Phoenix's mind. After that bought of awkward tension in the car on the way over, it felt like all the tension had faded out of the evening. One thing still bothered Phoenix, however, and as Mia pulled up to his building and turned off the engine, he decided get an answer.

He cleared his throat, "Mia something's been nagging at me this entire evening. Why were you so tense when we were driving to the restaurant?"

Mia watched him open his door before she responded, "Why do you ask?"

Phoenix leaned against the car frame with his back to Mia, "Well, in the two years I've known you, you never get tense except before a trial. I'm just curious what about tonight made you jumpier than usual that's all."

Phoenix couldn't see Mia's shake of the head or the slow smile that spread on her face. He did hear her close the driver's side door, however, and he turned to see Mia walk over to him.

"Mia…?"

"I guess you could say it was a lot of reasons, Nick. While we're worked together for a while now, we don't really interact a whole lot outside of that environment. It was more I didn't want to make things awkward, especially since this could almost be a date…"

Phoenix was suddenly very aware of her proximity and, while his mind screamed at him to move away and lessen the chance of doing something he might regret, he moved a bit closer.

His voice was quiet and Mia had to strain to hear him as he spoke, "When you say 'almost'…how so?"

Mia paused for a second, unsure where he was going with the, "Well. To be an official date there'd have to be a kiss-"

She was cut off by Phoenix's lips on hers. It was a brief but intense kiss that left Mia out of breath and leaning her weight on the car frame. Phoenix's face was still inches from hers and she could feel his breath on her face.

Phoenix leaned closer to Mia's ear, and she shivered at the feeling of his breath on her neck, "I'd say this is a date, wouldn't you?"

Mia smiled, but didn't respond, as Phoenix moved in to kiss her again.

(Reviews are love, please share the love if you feel so inclined.)


	12. best left to resolve itself

(A/N: This was a crackfic challenge from sparksearcher. It will probably be my last for a while as finals are rushing towards me like a speeding locomotive, but I hope you enjoy nonetheless.

Phoenix Wright and related characters belong to Capcom…who are nice people and don't want to sue me.

Challenge: Write Franziska + Godot)

Things had always been generally very tense down at the Prosecutor's office. Between the series of prosecutors who had worked down, there it was a wonder that more police officers didn't resign. Between Edgeworth, Skye and Von Karma most members of the force were run ragged and ended up with substantial wage reductions (Gumshoe suffered the most in the latter category). After Lana Skye's infamous murder trial and Edgeworth's mysterious disappearance, many of the officers began to relax. They were soon given a rude awakening with the arrival of the whip-wielding Franziska Von Karma. The situation escalated however with the arrival of the neural visor wearing prosecutor Godot.

Simply put, Franziska and Godot did not get along (and even that was an understatement). They could barely agree on anything, and their arguments rang down the halls of the Prosecutor's Office like a discordant symphony. Anyone foolish enough to catch them after an argument got a coffee cup hurled at them or a face full of whip depending on whom they encountered. Therefore there was an understandable amount of trepidation when Godot was assigned as Franziska's aide in a high profile case.

Franziska had decided while driving into work that, while Godot was uncouth, obnoxious and insufferable to be around, she would try to make this work, if for nothing else than the cases' sake. Coming to that decision made the idea of working with the blind prosecutor a little more tolerable; from completely unacceptable to insufferably irritating. Godot's arriving twenty minutes late with no explanation or apology ruined that, however, and soon Franziska found herself barely able to restrain her whip from smacking the smug jerk across the face.

Godot for his part had arrived planning to annoy the everliving hell out of the 18-year-old prodigy. Sure, he was assigned as her aide, but that didn't mean he had to play nice. He flat out did not like Franziska and, as he couldn't prosecute this case, he might as well have fun with it. Needling Franziska was one of his favorite pastimes since becoming a prosecutor, second only to mocking Phoenix Wright in the courtroom. As the morning progressed Godot inwardly laughed as the young prosecutor's face colored some rather interesting shades of red and purple and she held her hands tightly together to keep from grabbing her whip.

Everything hit the fan finally at about 3 in the afternoon, when they examined the crime scene photos.

Franziska's voice betrayed none of her simmering rage as she talked, "The victim was stabbed and, from the look of the bloodstain fell forward after-"

"Blood? I don't see any blood." Godot did have the huge disadvantage of being unable to see red, so all he was some liquid of an indeterminate shade spread out around the body.

Sensing a chance for some comeback, Franziska said, "You foolishly foolish fool, there's blood right there!" She pointed to the blood pooled around the body.

Godot shook his head, "I don't see it."

Franziska's grin took a decidedly wolfish turn, "That's because you're blind, visor boy."

Godot did a double take, "VISOR BOY?!?"

Franziska leaned back in her chair glad to be on the offensive for once, "you heard me you foolishly foolish fool who has been spouting foolishly foolish foolery all morning, at least I can _see_."

"Oh yeah? At least I'm not redundant. You need a thesaurus bad, woman."

"Coffee addict!"

"Dominatrix wannabe!"

"Jazz junkie!"

"Evidence falsifier!"

"THAT'S IT!" Franziska launched herself (and her whip) at Godot.

Edgeworth had been amazed at the relative quiet of Franziska's office. It was astonishing to think that she and Godot could talk to each other for three minutes without trying to kill each other. However, it was short lived and, considering everyone else avoided Franziska's office like the plague combined with the Spanish inquisition, Edgeworth went up to investigate. He entered the room without knocking and saw Franziska and Godot engaged in a fistfight. Franziska's whip lay forgotten on the floor, but she still seemed to be winning. Edgeworth slowly edged back out of the room and headed back to his own office, as he decided (as he valued his face without welts or second degree burns), some things were better left to resolve themselves.

(Reviews welcomed and appreciated.)


	13. Rain and Tea KristophViola

(A/N: I just finished blasting through my finals, but during that period I did have the time to write a couple of crackfics. This was a request from The Doctor on Court who's been a regular reviewer of my work on there. It's a rather unusual pairing, but as and ye shall receive so here you are. Oh, also I'll be referring to Garyuu Kirihito as Kristoph Gavin and Kyouya as Klavier in this fic, mainly because I like the names better. Atchung, baby!

Phoenix Wright and related characters belong to Capcom…who are nice people and don't want to sue me.

Write Garyuu Kirihito (a.k.a. Kristoph Gavin) x Viola)

Kristoph never considered himself to be anything remotely close to the romantic type. He preferred distance in relationships, as distance allowed him to manipulate people to his whims and ends. Even his younger brother was not immune as he had artfully manipulated him into proving the illustrious turnabout lawyer himself, Phoenix Wright, had attempted to use forged evidence. Naturally he'd been the one to forge the evidence when he was Zakku's defense attorney, but in the long run that really didn't matter unless someone figured it out.

However, life does enjoy taking unexpected turns and one such turn happened to Kristoph a rainy day a year after the infamous State vs. Arumajiki trial. He had left the detention center, where he'd been meeting with a current client and, as his office wasn't too far from the Detention Center, he'd walked. Of course two minutes into the walk, it had started raining like crazy, and Kristoph had to make a mad dash for an open door, which lead into a small building with a sign reading "Tender Lender".

Once inside Kristoph looked around the seemingly empty shop. The cramped and cluttered space deeply offended Kristoph's sense of office protocol.

"Hee…hee…hee…. Did you need something, Sir?"

A quiet voice made Kristoph jump, and he turned to see a rather small woman in black.

Regaining his composure somewhat Kristoph spoke, "Who do I have the pleasure of speaking to?"

"Viola. I guess you could say I'm the…owner of this establishment, Mr.-?"

"Gavin. Kristoph Gavin, attorney at law. A pleasure to meet you Ms. Viola."

"The pleasure's mine...Now, what can I help you with?"

"Nothing…at the moment. I simply came here to get out of the rain, I hope you don't mind."

"No, not at all…will you be staying her until the rain lets up, Mr. Gavin?"

"If you don't mind…I didn't have any other appointments for the day, and I'd rather not walk to my office in the rain."

"That's fine, Mr. Gavin. Would you care for some tea? I brew it special myself…. hee…hee…hee…"

Kristoph was pleasantly surprised to find that he rather enjoyed Viola's company. Despite seeming somewhat eerie, she was well-spoken and pleasant to talk to. He'd hardly noticed he'd spent several hours longer than he'd needed too, as the rain had stopped long ago. It was only when he saw the ruddy sunset glow peeking through the clouds that he finally stood.

"I hadn't realized how long I've been here. I'd best head off, thank you for the tea and allowing me to stay here until the rain let up, Ms. Viola."

Viola stood as well, and favored Kristoph with a smile, "It was my pleasure, Mr. Gavin. It's been a while since I've had such pleasant company…"

An awkward silence hung between them until Kristoph had stepped outside of the shop.

"Mr. Gavin."

Kristoph turned and looked at Viola, "Yes, Ms. Viola?"

"Would you…consider coming by tomorrow as well."

Kristoph graced her with a rare genuine smile, "I would love to."

And he meant it.

(Reviews love, so spread the love if you feel so inclined.)


	14. Paradox

(A/N: Another request from LazyCatfish27, which was finished in between studying for an Archaeology final and finishing up a 12 page paper. It was a little rushed, and it's kind of a light piece, but I think it turned out okay…but I'll let you be the judge of that.

Phoenix Wright and related characters belong to Capcom…who are nice people and don't want to sue me.

Challenge: write a Maya x Franziska fic.)

Franziska Von Karma had been expected to be very mature very early on in life. Her father's obsession with perfection had forced her into the role of a prosecutor at age 13, and while she could easily handle that responsibility, she had missed out on the experience of being a 'normal' teenager or even a normal childhood (as if Franziska and her whip could ever be considered normal).

This lack of experience led her to be confused by Phoenix Wright's rather erratic aide Maya Fey. Maya was, in many, was Franziska's exact opposite. She was childish, melodramatic, prone to fits of fangirlishness and was unfailingly cheerful. Franziska did not understand Maya and therefore chose to ignore her.

Maya, for her part, did not get Franziska. She didn't understand her focus on perfection (she hadn't understood the elder Von Karma's obsession either), or why she seemed to prefer seeming stuffy and old (She beat Nick out in that category, as he was at least fun) to actually enjoying life. It seemed more likely that Maya would give away her limited edition steel samurai poster than actually act her age.

Of course, as life seems to have a bizarre sense of humor, Franziska and Maya found themselves stuck in an elevator together in a blackout. It had not happened intentionally, as Maya had been heading up to meet Nick at Defense Lobby number 3 before a trial and Franziska had been heading to prosecute said trial. However, they were stuck in a cramped and dark place until the backup generator kicked in. Both of them had sat down in opposite corners of the elevator as they tried to ignore the building tension.

After a few minutes of an awkward silence (the fact that Maya was QUIET would have shocked anyone who knew her), Maya spoke up, "So…how long do you think we'll be stuck here?"

Franziska threw a glare at the medium-in-training, even though she knew it wouldn't be seen in the inky darkness of the elevator, "We will get out of here when the power comes back, obviously."

"Oh…. right…."

Franziska devoutly hoped that would be the end of the conversation and she could go back to figuring out how to turn the tables on Phoenix Wright.

Unfortunately luck was not with her, as Maya spoke up again, breaking her concentration, "I hope Nick is alright…"

"I'm sure Phoenix Wright can handle himself."

"…Why do you keep calling him that?"

Franziska stared incredulously where she assumed Maya's voice was coming from, "What?"

"Well, I mean most of the other prosecutors and the judge all just call Nick 'Mr. Wright', but you stick his first name in there…why?"

Franziska rolled her eyes, "I could similarly ask you why you call him 'Nick'."

Maya laughed, "Oh, well, that's what my Sis and his friend Larry call him. I just kinda picked it up."

Franziska shook her head, "I still fail to see how you get 'Nick' from 'Phoenix'…."

In the dark, Maya shrugged, "It's just a nickname; it doesn't really need to make sense. You never answered my question though."

Franziska thought for a minute, "I honestly don't really know. I heard his full name when I was in Germany, and I guess that I just started thinking of him in terms of that name."

Maya was quiet for a beat, "…do you mind you if I asked you something else?"

Franziska pinched the bridge of her nose between her finger and her thumb, "I have a feeling you'll still ask it even if I say no, so go on ahead."

"Do you ever…you know, regret being a prosecutor at 18?"

Now _that_ caught Franziska off guard, "What?"

"You don't get to act your own age because you're a 'prodigy' or whatever…do you regret that?"

"…You do not regret something you never experienced, Ms. Fey. I was expected to be an adult and I fulfilled that expectation. You are in a similar situation, are you not? You are expected to become the next master of Kurain, so are you not forced into a role as well?"

Franziska was surprised when she heard Maya laugh, "Not really. I've got a few years to go before I'm going to be made the master, so I try to enjoy the time I get to act my own age, you know?"

"But, you're helping Phoenix Wright as his legal aide…"

"I'm doing that because of my Sis. She left me a note to take care of him, and that's just what I'm doing."

The idea of someone like Maya Fey taking care of Phoenix Wright was laughable but Maya cut off any reply Franziska might have had.

"But still, that kinda sucks not being able to act like a teenager…I mean even Nick and Mr. Edgeworth enjoy some things that are a little kiddie…"

That piqued Franziska's interest, "Like what?"

"Well, Mr. Edgeworth is a big 'Steel Samurai' fan…and Nick's big into video games."

"I heard Miles talk about the 'Steel Samurai' before, but I admit I've never watched it …"

With a low hum the lights kicked back on, and the elevator rumbled back into is slow ascension to the 3rd courtroom.

Franziska stood up, and turned as Maya did the same and stared at Franziska with a shocked expression.

"You've never watched the 'Steel Samurai'?!"

Considering Maya was looking at her like she'd committed some form of blasphemy, Franziska slowly responded, "Yes, that's right…"

"That's it, after the trial you're coming with me and you are going to watch it. I can't believe you haven't seen it! Even Nick's watched an episode!"

Franziska rolled her eyes but felt a small smile for on her lips, "I guess one episode couldn't hurt…"

(There is no canon reference for Phoenix liking video games, by the way. That was my invention as he strikes me as a video gamer. Edgeworth is never identified as a "Steel Samurai" fan in the canon, but there is a fan comic that portrays him as such. It' amused me greatly and so it got thrown in here, as well. Please leave a review if you feel so inclined.)


	15. Impatience

(This was a request from Xero Wright, and it's probably one of the crackiest pairing requests I've had to date. This idea had been randomly floating around in my head for a while, so this gave an excuse to write it. Enjoy!

Phoenix Wright and related characters are the property of Capcom…who are nice people and don't want to sue me.

Challenge: Write an Iris x Dahlia fic.)

Dahlia considered herself a patient person. If she could wait six years to eliminate the loose ends that were Terry Falwes, as his imbecilic behavior could have potentially landed her in jail (thank god he'd drunk the poison when he did or that blasted Fey woman would have managed to indict her), and her adopted sister, she could wait for just about everything. However, she was not very patient when it came to getting potentially damning evidence back from that besotted idiot.

She'd initially just intended to deal him the same way she'd dealt with Falwes and that coffee addicted lawyer; a small dose of poison in something nondescript. Iris, her rediscovered twin, had begged her not to, and so the task of retrieving the pendant back from that idiot (what was his name again?…some kind of bird….) fell to Iris. As it was, Iris was having no noticeable success, and Dahlia was close to taking things once again into her own hands.

Iris had returned briefly from the college where the idiot had been attending school and Dahlia figured it was the perfect opportunity to deliver her ultimatum to her naïve twin. However, she learned from Bikini that Iris had gone into one of the side rooms to catch up on some sleep. Irritated, but careful not to let it show, Dahlia thanked her and looked for her sister.

She found Iris asleep in one of the farther side rooms. After a couple of failed attempts to wake her, Dahlia sighed and settled down close to her sisters futon, expecting a long wait and planning on giving Iris nine shade of Holy Hell for falling asleep on her.

After a while Dahlia noticed her twin had a bad habit of mumbling in her sleep. Irritated at the disturbance, but still curious Dahlia leaned in closer to hear. Most of the words were unidentifiable mumblings but several words came through quite clearly. One in particular, that was repeated several times, was "Feenie". Dahlia wasn't quite sure what that related to initially, but then she remembered that idiot's name was "Phoenix" (The thought that her sister had a pet name for the buffoon sickened her immensely). Considering her _dear_ sister had been asleep for nigh 3 hours, she figured trying to wake her up again wouldn't hurt. Leaning over Iris, she gave her a firm shove on the shoulder.

What she was not expecting was for Iris to kiss her on the lips before mumbling that idiot's apparent nickname again and rolling onto her other side. That was it; Phoenix Wright was a dead man.

(Reviews are love)


	16. Good Food and Good Friends

(A/N: This is a direct continuation to "Pal" set several months after that particular piece. This is a request from a good friend, known as LavLoki on Deviantart and fearlololoki on Court-Records. net.

Phoenix Wright and related characters belong to Capcom…who are nice people and don't want to sue me.

Challenge: Write a Gumshoe Will Powers sequel to "Pal".)

Saturday night found most people out on dates or at clubs here in the city. It also found one Will Powers, the former star of "The Steel Samurai" and current star of "The Pink Princess", sitting in his dressing room trying to coerce his kitten into coming out from under his couch. Will could practically hear the jokes about his current predicament, as he was crouched down in front of his couch with one arm extended towards his kitten.

There was a slight note of panic in his voice as he spoke, "C'mon Pal, we need to get going before that crazy security lady comes in her again and lectures me for two hours. I don't know about you, but hearing her 'youth today don't act responsible about their pets' lecture for the fifth time this week doesn't sound fun."

Ignoring his owner, Pal remained curled up just out of reach under the couch. As Will talked to him, Pal opened one eye briefly before closing it again and thoroughly ignoring his owner's rising panic.

"Pal, if you don't come out, I'm leaving and YOU can stay with the old bag and listen to her talk all night-"

A blur of black and orange shot out from under the couch and into Will's hands at this statement. Having been left to the mercy of Oldbag before, Pal was more than willing to disobey cat logic and listen to his owner than have to go through THAT again.

Chuckling, Will stood up and pet his small, furry little friend, "Guess you don't like her much either, huh, Pal? Well, I don't blame you; she picks on me all the time. She still hasn't let go of the whole Hammer thing…" Will trailed off before smiling down at Pal, "Anyways, when I go on that publicity tour next weekend Penny said she'd take care of you, how's that sound, little guy?"

Laughing at the contented purr his kitten made in his arms, Will picked up his bag and headed out of his dressing room. Since he'd adopted the little kitten from Detective Gumshoe, he'd found he actually liked staying at his apartment instead of going out and having his self-esteem torn to shreds at some dumpy club. One thing he did NOT like about his furry little roommate, however, was his tendency to want to bury himself in Will's rather wild hair. This habit made the car ride back to his place rather perilous as Pal decided he wanted to spend that ride in Will unruly mane, which was irritating and painful for him, and made his driving somewhat erratic. However, they made it back to his apartment with no injuries or fatalities (with the exception of Will's hair, as he had attempted to pry Pal out of his hair and had failed miserably, resulting in missing hair and scratches on his scalp and hands).

As Will drew closer to his apartment, he noticed one scruffy detective shuffling his feet next to the door.

Will grinned and called down the hall, "Hiya Detective!"

Detective Dick Gumshoe turned around to see who had called out to him and grinned, "Hi, pal! I was just coming over to see the little guy."

Will pointed at his hair, "He right in there."

Gumshoe looked confused until Pal decided to poke his head out of Will's hair.

Gumshoe almost fell over in shock, "You weren't kidding, pal! What's he doing up there?"

Will shook his head, careful not to disturb Pal too much, "He's just developed a habit of sitting there, and I can't get him out without getting scratched up, so I just let his sit there. It was kinda funny when he poked his head out yesterday and spooked the crazy security lady at Global. So do you want to come in, Detective?"

Gumshoe recovered and grinned, "If you don't mind pal."

Will's apartment was small and fairly clean, with the exception of one desk covered in unopened letters and a corner with a cat bed and some toys scattered around. Pal jumped down from Will's hair to the counter, where he was promptly picked up by Gumshoe. Gumshoe sat down on one of the stools next to the kitchen counter and began petting Pal.

"I hope you don't mind me askin', pal, but what are all those envelopes stacked on your desk?"

Will looked over at the stack and shuddered slightly, "Oh, those? They're fan letters. The studio redirects them here, and for some reason, a lot of the fans can't figure out it's a man in the costume, so about three fourths of them are rather disturbing love letters…"

Gumshoe continued petting Pal as he looked at them, "Do you actually open 'em or just let 'em sit there?"

Will wandered into the kitchen and started rummaging around in the fridge, "A few, but they all pretty much say the same thing…Hell, half of them sound like they were written by Sal…"

Gumshoe looked at Will, "Sal?"

"Sal Manella, the director. He came up with the whole 'Pink Princess' idea some time during the Hammer murder trial. He mentioned something about a 'cosplay girl', so I kinda assumed that Mr. Wright's aide, Maya, had something to do with it…"

Gumshoe chuckled, "I wouldn't be surprised. She does dress kind of funny…"

Will looked up, "You want to stay for dinner? I was just going to heat something up…"

Gumshoe brightened visibly, "Yeah! That'd be great, pal. I had my pay cut again, so I've been living off of instant ramen, mainly."

Will pulled a face, "I've done that before…it's not that fun. Well then, I have I really good fish recipe…."

Gumshoe found out that will was a rather good chef, as the fish was indeed excellent. The two of them ended up talking for quite a while, discussing Will's acting career, Gumshoe's job and the mutually abuse both took at their respective occupations.

Around ten or so, Gumshoe stretched and stood up, "Well, pal, I better head home. I've got an early shift tomorrow and the last thing I want is to be late."

As Gumshoe headed for the door, Will nodded and stood as well, "Thanks for coming by, Detective. It's been a while since I had a friend over."

Gumshoe looked at the larger man as he walked over, "you consider me a friend, pal? Really?"

Will grinned and extended his right hand, "Yeah, I do. Drop by anytime detective, Pal and I'd love to see you again."

Gumshoe grinned as well, and caught Will's hand in a hearty shake, "Will do, Pal, will do."

(Reviews welcomed and appreciated.)


	17. Potential

(I finally got around to my request queue, so sorry for the wait guys. That's not to say I haven't been writing, but most of it has been for some other projects, and so this collection of pieces has been what's suffering. But, I'm back on 'em, so enjoy the crack-y goodness. This was a request from SerenityBlue on Wright and related characters belong to Capcom…who are nice people and don't want to sue me.

Challenge: Write a Klavier + Edgeworth fic, mainly focusing on how Edgeworth views Klavier. Pre-GS4)

It was always an odd thing to watch a young prosecutor come in. Many of them came in full of fire and idealism only to be found fighting for a verdict in a couple of years. Edgeworth had been the opposite, however, as he had fought solely for the "guilty" verdict until an old friend had come traipsing into his life and gleefully shattered all of his assumptions. He'd then spent a great deal of time mulling over what it truly meant to be a prosecutor, before finally coming to the conclusion that prosecutors and defense attorneys had the same goal: to see that true justice was served.

Edgeworth generally paid little attention to rookies, especially now when he was making plans to move to Europe indefinitely (Franziska wouldn't leave him alone until he did), but Klavier Gavin's arrival had sparked such a stir that he'd been roused to curiosity. The people mainly causing said stir were the female members of the office (Edgeworth had long ago given up trying to understand them, despite the fact that many of them still attempted to ask him out on a monthly basis). Edgeworth found the man himself to be slightly disappointing however, as he was a young kid who had barely begun his career, and not all that remarkable looking, despite the amount of women in the office who mooned over him. If it weren't for his relation to the somewhat well known defense lawyer, Kristoph Gavin (his older brother, in fact as Edgeworth found out later) Edgeworth would have paid him no mind.

It was only on closer inspection though, that Edgeworth saw the differences between Klavier and the other rookies. Klavier, to sum it up, was very laid-back and willing to deal with things as they came. Most rookies were eager and often found themselves in over their heads faster than they could turn around. Klavier's approach was what would be expected of a veteran prosecutor. Even though he hadn't handled a case yet, he seemed to have a good understanding of how to handle them. In a couple of years, he might be a very good prosecutor.

On the eve of his departure Edgeworth flipped through the file for an upcoming case, "State v. Arumajiki". The prosecutor was listed as Klavier Gavin, the defense was Phoenix Wright. Edgeworth smirked to himself, _Interesting…I may just have to stay in the country to see this._

(Please read and review if so inclined.)


	18. A Slow Day At The Office TigreViola

(This request was from LazyCatfish27 here on Wright and related characters belong to Capcom…who are nice people and don't want to sue me.

Challenge: Write a Furio Tigre x Viola fic.)

Furio Tigre wasn't the romantic type by any stretch of the imagination. He'd sooner be hung by the neck than behave in a way that could be construed romantically. His accident with the granddaughter of Bruno Caverdini changed things however, as Viola decided to stick around the Tender Lender after her recovery. Tigre wasn't pleased by this turn of events, but realistically, what could he do? She was the granddaughter of THE Bruno Caverdini after all.

After a while though, the girl started to grow on him. She was surprisingly effective in dealing with clients who need a certain amount of "persuasion" and actually understood what he wanted from a situation. It was nice not to have to visit everybody who borrowed money from him to deal with them himself, as it was both time consuming and exhausting. The relationship wasn't what she thought it was (the kid had it in her head that he was into her romantically), but it was good in a practical sense.

Tigre stomped into the office in a particularly foul mood (his mood range went from miffed to furious, so he was always in varying stages of irritation). He'd had to deal with that idiotic chef at that terrible little bistro again, which always put him in a bad mood as he hated the man and his frilly little poor excuse for a restaurant with a passion, and it was raining. Rain made it hard to see while he was driving his moped around, so that meant he would be stuck at the office possibly through the night. He stormed over to his desk, giving the punching bag hanging from the ceiling a good hit for therapeutic purposes, and sat down.

As he mentally grumbled and planned ways to kill Armstrong a quiet voice broke his chain of thoughts. "Don Tigre, you're back."

Tigre turned to see Viola standing in the doorway that led in to the back part of the office, "Yeah Violetta, I jus' got back from dealin' wid that Bistro owner…he still can't pay."

"Does he need…persuasion?"

"Naw, jus' some customers. His food is worse n' garbage so he's got no customers. No customers means no money, and no money means no payments. I sometimes wonder what I was thinkin', lendin' that oaf money…"

Viola looked at him with her head canted in intrigue.

Tigre sighed and ran a hand through his spiky hair, "I gotta say though, Elg isn't much better wid his payments…But at least I can deadline him. The other clients have all paid their loans, so we should be okay though."

He turned and noticed with a slight start that Viola had disappeared. No matter how long she worked with him, he would never get used to her habit of walking out at random points in time, only to pop up right behind him minutes later. It was a good way to unnerve customers, but not really helpful when it came to running the Tender Lender. Just out of curiosity, Tigre watched the door until viola returned, this time with a small tray, which had two cups of espresso on it.

He actually managed a smile as he took a cup. "Thanks, Violetta, and sorry for dumpin' all dis on yous."

"It's fine, Don Tigre. It's natural to want to talk about these sort of problems and it gives me an idea of who I need to deal with next…hee…hee…hee…."

Tigre let his smile turn wolfish as he turned and looked out the window. He sourly noted that the rain had picked up considerably since he'd entered his office, and probably wouldn't let up until some time later in the evening.

He took a sip of his espresso before turning back to Viola, "Why don' we shut the joint down early tonight? I could use a little down time, and we're not going to get any customers in the rain."

"Would you be heading home then?"

"In dis weather? Naw, I'll probably hang around da office 'til it lets up."

"…Do you mind if I stay as well, Don Tigre?"

Normally Tigre would have tried to gently tell her to get out of his hair, but this time he smiled. "I'd like ya to, Violetta."

(Please read and review)


	19. Unexpected

(AN: This was a fic idea suggestion from LazyCatfish27 that I did like a request.

Phoenix Wright and related characters belong to Capcom…who are nice people and don't want to sue me.

Challenge: write an Edgeworth + Franziska fic in which Edgeworth gives Franziska a kitten to help her become more gentle.)

" You got me a WHAT?!"

The members of the Prosecutor's office cringed at the incredulous tone that echoed down from Franziska Von Karma's office. Generally that voice was indicative of two things, the first being that someone (generally Gumshoe) had done something stupid and was going to get a face full of whip, or Phoenix Wright had handed her yet another defeat and the next person she saw was going to get a face full of whip. Naturally, everybody who was familiar with that tone had moved down closer to the Chief Prosecutor's office where it was relatively safe. This was unfortunate for them as nobody, save the two people in said office, was around to witness the absurd situation unfolding.

Edgeworth crossed his arms, but looked at Franziska patiently, "A kitten. Yes, I got you one. No, it's not a joke and yes, I am perfectly sane."

Franziska shot her adopted brother a glare. "Why? You know I don't like pets. I can barely stand Phoenix and he's not mine! And how am I supposed to care for a pet in my occupation?"

"I take care of Pess just fine, and I'm as busy, if not busier, than you."

"You still haven't answered the fundamental question, Miles. Why?"

"You're far too violent, both in and out of court. I though having a pet might calm you down a bit."

Franziska stared at Edgeworth for a full minute. "Who are you and what have you done with Miles?"

"I'm quite serious, Franziska. Your recent behavior has been worse than usual and it won't be long before someone files charges against you. You need to calm down and deal with things without having to resort that whip."

"…I'll keep the thing for a week. After that you better be willing to take it back."

Edgeworth simply smirked and fished out a little gray kitten from a cardboard box he'd brought in.

"I brought some things you'll need for it, like a litter box, water dish, food, that sort of thing."

Franziska sighed rather exasperatedly as he indicated the items sitting in the corner with a jerk of his head. "Thank you, Miles…I guess."

Edgeworth simply deposited the kitten in her arms and walked out with a ghost of a smile on his face.

Franziska looked down at the ball of fur in her arms. The kitten had tucked her head under the crook of her arm and was currently purring contentedly.

"You know, I don't like you. I don't know why Miles thought a kitten would make me calm down…"

The kitten ignored her and continued to purr. Sighing, Franziska walked over to the cardboard box, fully intending to put the kitten back in the box and get back to her case file. However, the kitten had other ideas, and dug her claws into Franziska's sleeve.

Franziska jumped back, swearing, until she realized that it was the kitten that'd done it. Realizing that the kitten probably would do the same thing again if she tried to put it down, Franziska sighed and walked over to the desk instead, thankful that the cat hadn't settled in on her writing arm. As she sat down, the kitten jumped off her arm and settled into a corner of the desk. Satisfied that she wouldn't be bothered for a while, Franziska started to work on her new case file, intent on beating Phoenix Wright once and for all.

Naturally after things calmed down, Gumshoe showed up. He was supposed to have brought Franziska some of the official reports regarding the case earlier, but he'd learned from experience to avoid her office for a while after she'd been yelling.

Franziska barely looked up from her paperwork. "Yes, Scruffy?"

Gumshoe had long given up trying to correct her on that, as she'd whip him in the face if he tried. Sighing, he said, "I've got the documents regarding the case that you wanted, Ms. Von Karma."

"Leave them on the desk."

As Gumshoe did as he was told, he noted the small kitten. He smiled. "Hey, you've got a kitten! I didn't know you were an animal person."

"I'm not, Miles insisted I have it."

"Mr. Edgeworth gave it to you? Well, he got you a cute one…"

Gumshoe reached a hand out to pet the little kitten. Within the space of a second the kitten hissed and stuck some small but very sharp claws into the backside of Gumshoe's outstretched hand. Gumshoe drew back and let off a stream of curses at the little kitten, which now resembled a gray puffball, as her fur was standing on end.

Franziska looked up, ready to chastise the good detective for his language, when she caught sight of the current situation. She had to stifle a laugh at the sight of the detective glaring at an animal that was a tenth of his size.

"You should go run some water over those cuts, Detective."

Gumshoe looked at her, surprised. "Y-yes, sir!"

After the detectives somewhat hasty departure, Franziska looked at the little kitten chuckling. "I'm glad to see I'm not the only one who abuses the good detective. Keeping you around may be amusing after all…Ulrika. "

(That name is actually German, meaning "Wolf Ruler". It sounded vicious enough to suit Franny, so I went with it. Reviews are love, so spread the love if you feel so inclined.)


	20. Comfortable MiaPhoenix

(This was a request from DeviantArt.

Phoenix Wright and related characters belong to Capcom…who are nice people and don't want to sue me.

Challenge: Write a Mia x Phoenix piece involving Mia helping Phoenix study for the Bar exam.)

Mia remembered her own Bar Exam experience quite well as it was one of the most fear inducing experiences she'd ever had. After receiving her badge and working at Grossberg and Co., those memories had started to fade like old photographs, but helping Phoenix study for his own bar exam brought them back to full blazing life.

After his fateful trial, Phoenix had settled himself comfortably into a corner of Mia's life, often coming into her office after his classes were done or dragging her out to eat, as he jokingly claimed she'd forget to if he didn't remind her. While Mia considered Phoenix a good friend, she'd been intending to avoid any association with his bar exam like it was black plague mixed in with a healthy dose of the Spanish inquisition. However, Phoenix had practically begged for her help (It probably hadn't hurt that he'd also given her a look that smacked of a kicked puppy, one of these days she'd have to develop an immunity to his looks) so she felt obligated to help him.

Their study sessions were tinted with the scent of tea and the feeling of adrenaline. Phoenix's voice often took on a strained tone as he talked through the more complicated terms and concepts. They were always night study sessions; as Mia was in the process of opening her own law firm and Phoenix was still finishing up some of his classes. They were often at Mia's small, but nice, apartment; Phoenix was still in the process of moving into his (He'd finally gotten sick of living in the dorms).

There was no doubt in Mia's mind that Phoenix would make an excellent lawyer, as he had an exceptionally sharp mind regarding law (common sense was a slightly different story, however). He just needed to have a little more confidence in his abilities. Of course, considering the harsh grading on both portions of the Bar exam, his self-doubt was fairly legitimate.

Mia sighed as she waited for her teakettle to go off. It was close to two in the morning and they'd been going over cross-examination technique since about seven. Tomorrow was the last part of the bar exam and so Phoenix had shown up at the newly christened Fey Law Offices in a panicky state (it would probably be more accurate to say he looked like he was going to pass out at any second). Even though he'd calmed down some since their first acquaintance, Phoenix still had a flair for the overdramatic when he was nervous. It had taken Mia a while to calm him down and let her finish up what she was doing before he dragged her out to help him.

A sharp whistle broke her out of her thoughts and she flicked the stove top off. She then dug around her cupboards to find her teas. Mia had never been a big fan of coffee and since Diego's death she had pretty much sworn off the drink. When they had first started these study sessions, Phoenix refused any kind of stimulant beverage until he passed out, dead tired, onto one of his books. Mia smirked at the memory as she poured water into the mugs before dropping in the Chai tea bags.

As she walked back into her living room she noted that Phoenix wasn't at the desk where she'd left him. Apparently at some point he'd moved onto the couch, and currently was dozing over one of his books with his back against the armrest. He'd pulled the hood of his grey sweatshirt over his head, so Mia couldn't see his face, but she could tell he was on the verge of falling asleep due to the way his head kept tipping forward.

Setting her own mug on the desk, Mia walked over to him and handed him his mug. "You look like you need this, Nick."

Phoenix pulled his hood back and smiled wearily as he took it from her. "Thanks, Mia."

Mia chuckled as she sat down a little ways down the couch. "You might want to drink it before you fall asleep. You looked like you were ready to pass out on your book when I came in."

"I guess I'm not really cut out for late night studying…I'll be glad when tomorrow's over."

Mia nodded knowingly. "The test is stressful, but in the long run, I think the waiting for your results is worse."

"I'm trying not to think about that."

"It is a three month wait for the results, you know."

Phoenix balanced his mug on his lap and mock covered his ears. "I'm not listening!"

Mia laughed. "You're going to have to face it sooner or later, Nick."

"I'll take 'later' thanks very much."

Mia watched him down his tea like a man who'd been out in the desert for three weeks. "Nick, what would you say to coming to work for me after you get your badge?"

Phoenix choked on the last of his tea. After a moment of coughing he managed to get out, "Are you serious?"

"Yes, I am. You've got a lot of potential, Nick and I'd like to have someone working with me that I can rely on."

Phoenix set his book down on the carpeted floor and the mug on top of it before scooting a bit closer to Mia. "Are you really sure? I mean, you've barely got your firm started, so wouldn't you want someone with a little more experience?"

Mia took one of his hands in her own, running her thumb over his knuckles. "I'm sure, Nick. While having a firm with a number of skilled attorneys would bring in more clients, I'd rather have a few clients that I can believe in. I think I can do more good with a smaller firm, where I can trust who I work with and who I'm defending, than a large firm. Besides, I've been unofficially mentoring you since you changed your major from art to law, so why shouldn't you come work for me?"

Phoenix smiled. "True. Alright, I'm in."

Mia chuckled. "Welcome to Fey and Co., Mr. Wright."

"Glad to be here, Chief."

Mia laughed at his response and settled against his chest. His grey sweater was worn but still soft and Mia could feel Phoenix's body heat radiating through it. His hand was still in hers, and as she shifted to a more comfortable position, she noted that she could feel his heartbeat speed up.

"M-Mia, what are you…?"

"I'm getting comfortable."

"I don't…what?"

Mia turned to look up at his face. His face had colored considerably and his pale blue eyes had widened somewhat. He looked so much like he did when they'd first met, but she knew there was more to him than the bewildered college student he had been. She felt a smile touch her lips, and she stretched up to brush her lips lightly against his. Phoenix quickly responded to the kiss, wrapping one arm around her waist while the other came to cradle her head and deepen the kiss.

When they finally broke the kiss, Phoenix ran a finger down Mia's cheek as he spoke, "What was that for?"

Mia leaned into his touch and smiled. "Nothing really. It just felt right."

Phoenix grinned and brought his chin to rest on top of Mia's head. She buried her head in the crook of his neck as he brought his other arm around her waist as well.

After about ten or so minutes of comfortable silence, Mia spoke, her voice slightly muffled, "So, should we get back to studying…?"

Mia could feel the chuckle as it made his throat vibrate. "No, at this point, I feel prepared for anything."

(Reviews are love so please share the love if you feel so inclined.)


	21. Poison KristophDahlia

(This was a request from MiaFey on This is set sometime before case one of Trials and Tribulations, before the murder of Diego Armando.

Phoenix Wright and related characters belong to Capcom…who are nice people and don't want to sue me.

Challenge: Write a Kristoph x Dahlia fic.)

Kristoph Gavin was in a foul mood as he strolled onto the Ivy University campus with all the subtlety of a storm cloud. Why one of his fellow students had called him back on campus at this hour still eluded him, but Kristoph hoped it was important (otherwise said student would find himself in an…unpleasant situation.) As he strode by the Pharmacology Department, Kristoph noted a flash of movement out of the corner of his eye. It was so quick, he wasn't even sure that he had seen it. Curious, he walked down the path before approaching a side door to the Pharmacology Department.

The building itself was relatively dark, with only enough light to see the outlines of the shelves and equipment that littered the lab. A series of noises tore through the silence of the room like lightning across a dark sky. Following the source of the noise, Kristoph slowly made his was to a more open area of the lab, which had several rows of lab desks. A woman was mixing something at one of desks by the light of a small battery powered lantern. In the dim light the woman's only distinguishing feature (aside from the fact that she appeared to be rather attractive) was her flame red hair.

Deciding to make his presence known, Kristoph cleared his throat. The woman's reaction was almost immediate. Her head flew up and her eyes narrowed.

Stepping forward, Kristoph began slowly making his way over to her. "Good evening, miss. Seems a little late for a student to be here, don't you think."

"Wouldn't the same apply to you?"

"Yes, but I'm just a curious passerby who happened to witness your entering this building and decided to investigate."

"…What do you want?"

"Well, that's not very cordial, is it? You could at least tell me your name before you start making demands, my dear."

"Only if you give me yours first."

"Tad touchy, are we? Very well, my name is Kristoph Gavin."

"Dahlia Hawthorne."

"There, that wasn't so hard, was it?"

Dahlia let out a derisive snort before going back to whatever she had been working on. "You never did answer my first question, Mr. Gavin. What do you want?"

"Nothing really, I was just curious."

"I see. Well, now that you've sated your curiosity, shouldn't you be getting on your merry way?"

"I should, but I'm not going to."

"What?"

"Let's just say…you intrigue me, Ms. Hawthorne."

Dahlia tensed a little at this. "I'm not all that especially interesting, Mr. Gavin."

"Oh, but I think you are. You see, nobody would be in here at this time of night unless they weren't supposed to. I know this from experience."

Dahlia's voice took on an acidic tone, "Oh, really? What would someone like you be in here for? Aside from bothering other students, that is."

"Developing poison, of course."

Dahlia's head jerked up at that. "What?"

Kristoph continued as if it was the most mundane thing in the world, "More effective poisons can only be obtained in a pharmacology lab such as this, and I've had to use these facilities for that purpose more than once."

Dahlia just stared, her look betraying a hint of fear and anger.

Kristoph noted her look and chuckled, "Come now, ms. Hawthorne, surely you didn't think me dense enough not to notice the ingredients you're mixing. You're using the facilities for the same purpose I do."

"That puts us at a stalemate doesn't it?"

Kristoph tapped the top of one of the bottles, "You've got a good base mixture here, but you might want to add something to increase potency. Hold on a second."

Kristoph rather quickly disappeared among the darkened shelves. The clinking movement of glass bottles was heard for a moment or two before Kristoph slowly rematerialized in the patch of light created by the lamp. "This is what you'll want to add, Ms. Hawthorne."

Dahlia warily took it from him. "Not to sound rude, but why are you helping me?"

He graced her with a decidedly devilish grin. "Let's just say, I have an appreciation for fine poison."

(Reviews are welcomed and appreciated.)


	22. A Matter of Perspective MiaPhoenix

(A/N: This piece was done for the PW Kink Meme.

Phoenix Wright and related characters are the property of Capcom...who are nice people and don't want to sue me.

Challenge: Phoenix/Mia where Phoenix is taken to the hospital after the events of 3-1.)

Phoenix was willing to admit he'd done plenty of stupid things in his life. He could easily remember a dozen of them off the top of his head; however only one had landed him in an overnight stay at the hospital. Sitting and listening to the electronic beep measuring his heart rate didn't help the slowly growing feeling of unease he had, nor did the stark white walls of his room.

His mind kept turning back to the events of the day, bringing a dull ache to his heart and throwing his mind into a whirl of confusion. The woman he'd seen on the stand hadn't been the woman he'd dated for eight months…it didn't makes sense. _Of course_, the dry cynical part of his mind reminded him, _She could have faked everything, you know._

Phoenix mentally kicked himself for the umpteenth time that day. He'd been a fool; a blind romantic fool who had almost found himself in jail, and most likely on death row, were it not for the efforts of his defense attorney, Ms. Fey.

Ms. Fey had stood by him and believed in his innocence until the end, even when he had behaved poorly and irreparably damaged his case by eating that little necklace with the trace amount of poison in it.

That was the reason his was in the hospital at the moment. The moment the trial had ended Ms. Fey had grabbed his scarf and forcibly dragged him into her car. The initial few minutes of the ride were permeated with a tense silence.

When they were stopped at a red light Mia let out a frustrated noise and turned to him, her tone a contrast to the hard glare in her eyes. "How are you feeling?"

Phoenix looked down at his hands, and his voice was shaky as he responded, "Fine, I guess…" That tense silence fell thick between them for a moment. Mia's flicked back to the road in front of her. Taking a moment to gather his thoughts, he weakly continued, "Ms. Fey…?"

Mia's eyes never left the road. "Yes?"

"I really wanted to...thank you. I was an idiot back there and I know you have every right to be angry with me for what I did but…thank you for believing in me."

The car's hum filled the silence after his statement. Mia closed her eyes for a moment before turning and responding, "I'm not angry, I never was, Mr. Wright. I was concerned more than anything, especially after you ate that bottle."

The light ahead of them flickered green, and silence reigned again for a moment before Mia continued, "You probably wouldn't know this, but my first client…died on the stand. He'd poisoned himself with something similar that was in the bottle you ate. You seem fine, but I'd like for you to get checked out, if that's okay…"

Phoenix found himself smiling despite the grim story Mia had just related, "That's fine."

Of course, once the doctors had heard what had happened he was led off quickly, and didn't even have a chance to say goodbye to Ms. Fey. They ended up pumping his stomach because of the glass and metal he'd ingested. They'd explained that normally they'd just force him to regurgitate it, but in this case, that would cause more harm that good. The end result was that he woke up from the anesthetics several hours later, with a fuzzy head and a complaining stomach. When he'd awoken, the doctor had informed him that they were running some blood tests, but aside from some queasiness, he should feel no ill effects for the small amount of poison he'd ingested.

He swallowed, his throat burning and feeling raw. He could no longer taste the blood from the cuts lining his mouth and throat, but the pain was still there. Eating that glass bottle had caused more damage than he'd thought it would and the doctors couldn't do much for the gashes in his throat; they'd have to heal on their own. The fact that there actually HAD been poison in the bottle disturbed Phoenix more than he'd thought it would, and more so than the minor injuries he'd obtained from eating it. Maybe it just made what had happened in court hit home, but he found that fact more bothersome than anything else the doctor could have told him.

Phoenix sighed as he leaned further into the hospital bed he was currently occupying and stared at his room as though seeing if for the fist time, which wouldn't be surprising given how wrapped up in his thoughts he'd been. The room they'd placed him in was private (something he was profoundly grateful for) and composed of four whitewashed walls. There were several rather uncomfortable looking plastic chairs lining the wall facing his bed, and a TV was in the right corner, perhaps to distract from the beeping machinery both behind and to the left of his bed. Most of the equipment was shut off, as he wasn't a seriously ill patient, but the device to monitor his heart and a few other extraneous machines were hooked up to him, probably regulating body temperature and some other things (Phoenix wasn't well versed in machines like this, being an art major). The only other feature to the room was a beige door in the right wall that was barely visible from his bed.

Phoenix was startled out of his examination of his room by the sound of footsteps echoing down the long hallway outside the door. He assumed it was just the nurse coming to check and make sure he hadn't been stupid enough to strangle himself on the machine chords or something similar.

He was surprised when he heard Mia's voice. "Knock knock."

He watched her come into view around the machines, smiling. "Ms. Fey! I wasn't expecting to see you."

Mia's eyebrow quirked up. "I'm not allowed to visit a client that's in the hospital?"

"No that wasn't…what I meant was…"

Mia chuckled at his attempts to explain himself. "I was kidding, Mr. Wright. To be honest, they rushed you off so quickly I go concerned."

Phoenix smiled, somewhat pleased that she was concerned. "Well, I should be fine, but they're keeping me overnight to make sure. They got the remains of the necklace out of my system too."

Mia smiled and sat on the bottom right corner of his bed. "That's good to hear. That stuff is lethal with two teaspoons, so I wasn't sure how a trace amount would affect someone."

"Well, they said it shouldn't do much except cause some slight queasiness."

A short silence fell over the room. It wasn't the tense silence that had plagued the car ride over, but rather an awkward pause where neither knew what to say.

Mia was the one to break it. "So…what are you planning to do after you get out of here, Mr. Wright?"

Phoenix made a bit of a face. "Now that the case is over, Ms. Fey, would you mind not calling me, 'Mr. Wright'? It makes me sound like my father."

Mia gave him a slight smile. "Alright, fair enough. What do you want to be called?"

"Phoenix would be fine."

"Well, Phoenix, you never answered my initial question. What are you planning to do when you get out of here?"

Phoenix sighed and leaned back to stare at the ceiling. "I hadn't really thought that far ahead, but I'll probably go to the counselor's office on campus and change my major. I've been taking a lot of law and criminology courses alongside my art ones, so I should have enough units to make it work."

"So you were serious about taking up law?"

"Yes. Actually, Ms. Fey. -"

"Mia."

Phoenix blinked. "What?"

"My name's Mia. I don't like being called 'Ms. Fey' any more than you like being called 'Mr. Wright'. I've learned to deal with it in court, but that doesn't mean I like it."

Phoenix nodded. "Alright. Mia, would you mind…if I asked for your help in my studies sometimes?"

Mia stared for a minute. "Are you sure, Phoenix? I don't have a whole lot of experience to offer."

Phoenix grinned. "I can't think of anyone else I'd want to turn to, Mia."

A smile spread slowly over Mia's face. "Then I'd be glad to."

Phoenix watched as she pulled out a scrap of paper and scribbled something on it. She handed it to him and he noted it was her house and cell numbers.

Mia tapped the paper with a finger. "I'm always available on my cell so give me a call if you need a hand."

"Thank you."

"My pleasure, Phoenix."

She pulled him into a brief hug, which, after a moment of surprise, he awkwardly returned.

Mia straightened up and said, "I'd better head out, but I'll see you sometime soon probably."

"See you around."

Even long after Mia left, Phoenix couldn't seem to keep a smile off of his face. Maybe things weren't as bad as they seemed.

(Reviews and comments welcomed and appreciated.)


	23. The Deadbeat Club

The Deadbeat Club

(A/N: Sorry for the long absence, but I come bearing Fanfiction!

Yet another Pal sequel because apparently people liked it. I wrote it mainly to get back into the groove of crackfic writing after a long period of working on originally work. For those of you who requested pieces from me, I'm working on a couple right now, and hopefully I'll have them done as soon as school allows. There are minor 2-3 and 2-4 spoilers. The title comes from a B-52 song title…one that just won't leave my head when I think of Will and Gumshoe, so I decided to make use of it,

Challenge: write another sequel to 'Pal'.

Phoenix Wright and related characters are the property of Capcom…who are nice people and don't want to sue me.)

Will sighed as he hung up the embarrassingly cutesy bunny suit that had recently become his uniform. He almost preferred the Pink Princess ensemble; at least then he hadn't gotten so much flak from the other employees, but given that he was fairly intimidating appearance-wise and, at the time, he'd just been acquitted of murder charges might have had something to do with that.

Penny was probably the only person in the business who hadn't given him a hard time about his new job on that kid's exercise show. She understood that actor's had to eat and, given Will's looks and reputation, acting jobs were hard to find in this town.

A loud meow broke Will out of his morose contemplation of his lot in life. He looked over to the makeup counter that was the part of every dressing room, where Pal, his turtle-shell cat, currently lay. Will chuckled and walked over to pet his little buddy, glad that he'd still been allowed to keep his pet in the dressing room. Pal's low purring filled the room and Will smiled, before picking up his gym bag and tossing it over his shoulder. Pal let out a mew of surprise as Will scooped him up, and dug his claws into the thick material of Will's jacket. Will just laughed and walked out of the dressing room, waving to Penny as she was putting away some equipment. Normally Will would have stuck around and given her a hand or just stayed to talk but he actually had plans with a friend this evening, provided Detective Gumshoe wasn't called on a case unexpectedly like he had been recently.

Once he'd seated himself in the driver's side of his Jetta, Will winced as Pal had decided now was a good time to climb up into Will's hair. Sighing, Will now knew from experience dislodging the cat was more trouble than it was worth and just started up the car. A light rain started up as he left the studios, and progressed until Will was forced to squint through his windshield while trying to park. Luckily the lot by his modest apartment was fairly empty, so he could pull up without worrying about running into someone by accident. He did, however have to run for the cover of his complex and a sharp pain in his scalp told him that Pal was none too pleased with this development.

Will trudged up to his apartment, hair dripping and slightly matted. He wasn't surprised to see Gumshoe leaning up against the wall waiting for him, but he wasn't able to return the detective's grin, as Pal decided to dig his claws into Will's scalp again.

Gumshoe saw the pained expression on Will's face and looked to the taller man's hair, where a bedraggled black and orange face glared at him as though he was the source for its current predicament. The detective laughed. "Maybe that'll teach you to not stay in someone's hair, pal."

Will let out a pained chuckle as he quickly unlocked the door. "So no cases tonight detective?"

"Well, there's always something, pal, but most of it's pretty minor. The patrolman and other detectives can take care of the shop for a while. We haven't been as good as when we were under Chief Gant, but we're managing"

Will nodded, letting out a breath of relief as Pal quickly jumped off his shoulder and shook out on the carpet. "I remember hearing about that…he was blackmailing the Chief Prosecutor, right?"

"Yeah, it's still kind of hard to believe. I mean, the chief was tough, but I wouldn't have pegged him as a murderer."

Will smiled wryly as he ran a hand through his wet unruly mane of hair. "Yet you pegged me as one?"

Gumshoe rubbed the back of his head ruefully. "Well, you are kinda intimidating looking, pal. I didn't know you and we had witnesses and everything…"

Will chuckled and went to go pull a towel out of his closet, tossing his wet jacket on a shabby grey-blue chair on his way. "It's fine detective, I know I cut a pretty intimidating figure. Most of the job offers I got after the Pink Princess ended were for action movie villains."

"Really?"

Will furiously toweled his hair dry so his voice seemed to go in and out. "Yeah, really. But I just am not good at playing a bad guy. I did it a lot in college, but I was terrible at it. I was lucky the Steel Samurai was thrown my way actually. Well, except for the whole murder thing…"

Gumshoe took a seat on the overstuffed pale green couch and picked up Pal, absently petting him. "I hear ya, a guy's gotta eat after all. I've gotten my pay cut so low I can't pay the electric bill, but at least I can afford to eat."

Will grimaced at that. He'd heard about Gumshoe's near absent wage woes and honestly felt bad the minute he brought it up. He could at least afford to live comfortably. He decided a change of topic was in order as he set his damp towel down and went to go hang up his jacket. "So, what do you want to do tonight detective?"

Gumshoe looked down at Pal. "I dunno, pal, did you have something in mind?"

Will shrugged. "I was kind of thinking just hanging around here, but then I'm a bit of a homebody."

Gumshoe smiled. 'That's fine with me, Pal. I don't get many opportunities to just kick back in my job."

Will returned the smile and migrated into the kitchen, pulling out various pots and pans. "Alright, I just got this great Spanish recipe from a friend of mine, Juan Corrida."

Gumshoe looked back over the couch. 'I've heard of 'im! He's the Jammin' Ninja right?"

"Yeah, he's a good guy. We met at last years Hero of Heroes Grand Prix. He works for a rival studio, but he's a nice guy…if it weren't for his rivalry with Engaurde, the guy who plays the Nickel Samurai. I tell you, that's not going to end well for them."

Gumshoe nodded and rubbed a red welt on his neck. Will looked at it for a minute. "That's a pretty nasty welt there, Detective. What happened?"

Gumshoe snorted. "The new prosecutor happened, pal. She's a nightmare, I tell you. She carries a whip and beats on all of us cops when we're not fast enough. And I swear she's followin' me! I hear a beep and Bam! She's there with the whip in my face. She can't even remember my name, keeps callin' me Scruffy McTrencoat. She's got it out for Mr. Wright too, came all the way from Germany to duke it out with him. I think that's why she's so sharp, but honestly Manfred von Karma wasn't half this bad."

Will smiled sympathetically, as he'd heard a bit about the new prosecutor here and there, and began to heat up some ingredients. "Sounds tough. What about the guy who prosecuted my case? Mr.…. Edgeworth was it? I thought you worked mainly with him."

Gumshoe's expression grew glum. "He went missing sometime last year…nobody knows where he is."

He looked like he was going to add more, but his phone went off. Standing up so quickly Pal hit the ground with a thump and took off for his bed with a disparaging glance at the scruffy detective, gumshoe answered it and proceeded to have a very animated discussion in police jargon with whoever was on the other line. After he hung up Gumshoe turned and looked apologetically at Will.

"Sorry pal, but there's been a murder at the Big Berry Circus. I've got to go head up the investigation."

Will was disappointed, but years of acting helped him easily cover it up. He extended a hand "That's alright Detective, maybe next week then?"

Gumshoe took will's larger hand in a friendly handshake. "Looking forward to it, pal."

After the detective had made his hasty exit, Will sighed and looked over at Pal, who was still glaring at the door. "Well, looks like we'll have to find something for just the two of us doesn't it little buddy?"

(comments welcomed and appreciated.)


	24. Fortunate Fall MiaxPhoenix

(A/N: It's been a while since I sat down to work on my queue. This would have been up sooner, but some computer problems prevented me from doing so, along with a very intense first quarter at a 4-year university. Normally I would post this in the order requested, but as it's forgotten pairings month, I'm going to throw that rule out the window and indulge in a little Mia/Phoenix love 'til January. This was requested by LazyCatfish27 here on . As always, Phoenix Wright and related characters are the property of Capcom…who are nice people and don't want to sue me.

Challenge: Write a Mia/Phoenix in which both are dead.)

Phoenix squinted as he opened his eyes, a pale ethereal light seeming to coming from all around him. As his eyes adjusted to the light, he started as he noticed he seemed to be floating in a blank grey space, light from nowhere and everywhere.

"What the-?!"

An all too familiar chuckle echoed in the space, and Phoenix looked around wildly, hoping for someone else's presence in this empty space.

"Who's there?"

The chuckle echoed again, this time with a tint of sadness to it. "Phoenix, I'm disappointed in you. Surely you'd recognize my voice after all these years…"

Phoenix stopped his wild search, his tone disbelieving. "Mia…?"

A warm hand alighted on his shoulder, causing him to wheel around and come face to face with his deceased mentor and friend, looking exactly as he had seen her when she was alive.

"Mia! It is you! How…?"

Mia smiled, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. "What's the last thing you remember?"

Phoenix's brow furrowed as he thought. "Well, I woke up to a scream and went down to the courtyard at Hazakura temple, found the body of Ms. Deauxnim and was asked to call the police. When I got there the bridge was on fire, and I tried to cross it…"

"And you fell into the river."

Phoenix met Mia's gaze, his eyes widening in realization. "You don't mean…that fall, it…"

"Killed you? Yes, I'm sorry to say."

Phoenix was almost tempted to argue, but his surroundings and Mia's presence were enough to convince him of the reality of it.

He slumped a bit. "I can't believe it…"

Mia watched Phoenix with an unreadable expression on her face for a moment before pulling him into a hug. Phoenix didn't immediately respond, obviously still too far in shock over his death. However, once the shock had dissipated somewhat He responded, burying his head in the crook of her shoulder and holding onto her like she was a lifeline, the one sane thing in everything he'd just found out. Mia winced at his tight grip, but didn't protest, instead bringing a hand up and running it through Phoenix's thick spiked hair.

He couldn't remember the last time he'd hugged her…he vaguely remembered doing so out of enthusiasm when he was still just a law student and she had been helping him out. Part of his brain wondered how he could hold her, given they were both dead and insubstantial, but most of his brain was preoccupied with freaking out over his situation.

They stayed in that embrace for a long time…how long, Phoenix couldn't say. There didn't really seem to be anyway to measure time where they were. Eventually though, he somewhat came to terms with what happened, enough to focus on his more immediate situation; He was being held by his mentor, the woman he'd been in love with since he'd started law school; when he got to know her as more than just his attorney, but as a friend. Despite the fact that she was dead, she felt warm and soft against him, and he felt his face heating up as she continued to hold him.

Mia's quiet voice made him start. "Are you alright? With…the situation, that is."

Phoenix shifted his head so his mouth wasn't pressed against the fabric of her suit jacket. "I guess, I mean the whole idea's a bit…unnerving, but I guess I'll have to get used to it."

Mia chuckled, and Phoenix felt the vibration of it along the side of his face pressed against the side of her neck. "I know…it takes a while to get used to it."

"Really? I mean, when Maya channeled you that first time, you seemed so composed..."

Mia let go of Phoenix, and he felt a sharp stab of disappointment until her hands cupped his face on her shoulder and moved it so that he was looking directly at her.

A hint of a smile tugged at her lips. "Phoenix, that was all a façade, it took me weeks to adjust to this… I still wasn't quite used to it by the time your next case came along."

"Wow…" He smiled warmly at her. "I guess I've just always thought of you as the kind of person nothing phases."

"Well, then my court façade did its job pretty well."

"Well, that's part of it I suppose, but even outside of court, you've always been a strong person. I guess, somehow I thought that even if something bothered you, you'd adjust pretty quickly and no one would catch it."

Mia chuckled quietly. "You're quite the flatterer, Phoenix."

"No, just honest."

Mia smiled beatifically at that and Phoenix felt the heat return to his face again. After a beat or so Mia ran a thumb along the edge of Phoenix's jaw line, sending shivers through his body.

"Phoenix, if there was something you didn't get to say to someone and suddenly were given a second chance, would you say it?"

"Of course."

"Good."

Phoenix suddenly found Mia's hands at the back of his head as she hooked him down and kissed him. After a moment of stiff surprise, he encircled her waist with his arms and returned the kiss. When they finally broke apart, Phoenix was a bit surprised to realize he wasn't gasping for air after that, but then remembered the whole dead aspect.

Mia smiled and dropped a hand so that her thumb absently rubbed the hollow of his collarbone. "I always meant to pursue…well, us, after you'd stopped depending on me so much, but I never got the chance."

Phoenix laughed a little. "Well, I'd say we've got all eternity now wouldn't you say?"

Mia brought his head down, stopping just short of kissing him and let out in a low purr. "I think so, and I plan to make up for lost time."

Phoenix almost responded, but Mia's lips on his made thinking, let alone coming up with a response, nigh impossible.

///////////////////////////////////////////////

Miles Edgeworth grimaced as he was led through the washed out fluorescent-lit hallways of the morgue. He didn't want to be there, and if he'd had his choice he would be back at his hotel room, or better yet, back in Europe. However, a frantic Larry rambling about Phoenix's being in trouble had caused him to charter a jet and come back. It wasn't until he'd stepped off the plane that he'd gotten the call that had led him here.

He was lead into one of the rooms housing the bodies of the dead and watched as the mortician who'd accompanied him went to a specific refrigerated drawer and opened it. Edgeworth had to look away initially, but eventually forced himself to look at the stiff body of his friend and rival, Phoenix Wright. He walked closer to the body, noting that the morticians had shifted his body so one couldn't tell the cause of death but, having been handed the autopsy report before his arrival here, Edgeworth knew the man had broken his neck, attempting to cross a burning bridge of all things.

Edgeworth briefly reached out a hand and touched Wright's shoulder, needing to verify what he was seeing. The cold stiffness of the body was a tangible sign that Wright was indeed dead.

Edgeworth turned, fully intending to see to the man's burial and leaving the godforsaken place as soon as possible, when something in his peripheral stopped him. Glancing back over at the body, he was sure; Wright was smiling.

(Reviews are love, please spread the love if you feel so inclined)


	25. Looking in The right Places MiaPhoenix

(A/N: Again, another Mia/Phoenix fic. I'll get back to the rest of the queue in Jan, promise. This was a request from the Kink Meme.

Phoenix Wright and related characters are the property of Capcom…who are nice people and don't want to sue me.

Challenge: Phoenix is dutifully working as Mia Fey's assistant at her law firm as he works to pass his bar exam. One day, for whatever reason, Mia realizes that Phoenix has not really interacted with or shown interest in any other women since Dahlia. When questioned, Phoenix admits that since Dahlia hadn't actually liked him, he doesn't really think there's anything about him to like; that, and most of the women he ends up attracted to are similar to Dahlia and he doesn't want that.

So Mia proceeds to show him what it is about him that a real woman would like, and how a real woman acts.)

Mia had come to a realization.

She'd noticed it, sure, but had filed it away in the back of her mind with the other seemingly irrelevant observations one makes during the average day, but the realization that accompanied these particular observations couldn't be ignored. Phoenix, who had, in his free time since his trial, been helping her out around the newly formed Fey and Co. as an assistant, had not been in a relationship since the ill-fated one with Dahlia Hawthorne. Given as many hours as he'd spent in the office, she really should have picked up on it sooner, but getting her firm up and off the ground had taken up most of her focus for the past couple of months, so a little thing like her friend's (for he'd stopped being just an assistant within the first week) love life, or lack thereof, had slipped her by.

The rhythmic shuffling of Phoenix ordering files in the front office flowed through the room as Mia absently rotated the pencil in her hand, poised over the ledger containing the firm's finances. Realizing she wasn't going to get any work done until she'd gotten to the bottom of the whole situation, Mia shut the ledger with a satisfying 'thump' and walked out to the front office. Phoenix stood leaning over the front desk, stacked files scuffing against his faded jeans.

On hearing the sharp click of Mia's heels, he looked up from the files he was organizing and gave her a warm smile. "Hey, Mia. Did you need one of the files? I've got most of the early cases sorted."

Mia returned his smile. "No, but you've already got that much done?"

"Well it wasn't easy at first, but once I understood the system you used when packing them, it got a lot faster." He laughed. "Of course, it would be better if we'd gotten that file cabinet when were supposed to."

"Too true, but you have to always expect something to go wrong."

There was a glint of amusement in Phoenix's eyes. "So did you just come out her to talk about our filing cabinet woes? Not that I'm complaining for the break at all…"

Mia's smile dimmed a little. "Actually, I wanted to ask you something…personal if I could, Phoenix, and you don't have to answer it if you don't want to."

Phoenix straightened up. "Alright, ask away."

I haven't seen you dating anyone since…_that_ woman, and I was just wondering why."

Phoenix sighed and slumped into the chair at the desk, his legs slightly propped up by the stack of files. "I was wondering when you'd pick up on that…Well, I guess I figured that if Dahlia hadn't really loved me, that there wasn't much about me to love, you know? That's not to say that I didn't try after that case, but…" he ruffled his spikes with his right hand. "I seem to meet the same kind of women, so it just seemed sort of pointless when I knew the relationships would all just blow up in my face. It just seems easier to focus on work and my studies and not worry about it."

The kicked puppy look on his face made Mia mentally curse Dahlia Hawthorne yet again. It seemed even behind bars the woman managed to deeply affect those she'd deceived. The silence that hung in the air after his answer apparently made Phoenix uncomfortable, because he stood back up and started organizing the files he'd been working on before.

Mia maneuvered her way through the files until she was standing along side the desk, and leaned up against it for a moment before speaking. "You're just looking in the wrong places."

Phoenix looked up, and his eyes were trapped by Mia's intense gaze. "What?"

"You're a good guy, Phoenix."

Phoenix turned back to his files, breaking eye contact. "You haven't known me that long Mia…how can you say that?"

"Anyone who has had a conversation with you could tell. I could tell, even during your trial, that you're a very warm, sincere individual, you just made a bad choice in Dahlia Hawthorne, and she used that to her advantage like she's used everyone else in her life. Besides, you need to look for _women_, not girls like Dahlia."

Phoenix straightened up, staring straight ahead, that kicked puppy expression on his face again. "I don't know, I mean, I don't even know what I'd look for…"

Phoenix heard Mia shift her weight off of the desk and for a moment, he thought she was going to head back into her office. He was shocked when she rather forcefully spun him around and pinned him against the desk, her face inches away from his.

He felt his face grow hot as she pressed her body against his. "M-Mia? What're you—"

"Tell me…would _Dahlia_ have done this?"

Phoenix didn't get a chance to respond immediately, as Mia kissed him, her lips insistent on his. He let out a short surprised noise, which Mia used to her advantage by slipping her tongue into his open mouth. Phoenix let out a low groan and reciprocated in kind, feeling the desk digging into the palms of his hands and his lower back.

Eventually the lack of oxygen forced Mia to break the kiss, panting slightly. Phoenix rather hazily noticed that he was all but lying on top of the desk and Mia hadn't pulled back, but at this point he was too dazed to care.

He managed to weakly get out. "Wow…I…that was amazing…"

Mia moved one hand to trace his jaw line; her smile was warm and her voice had dropped to a whispery purr that sent chills up Phoenix's spine. "That's what a real woman is like Phoenix. Still don't know what to look for?"

A slow smile spread across Phoenix's face. "I don't have to look anymore, do I?"

Mia's smile widened and she dipped her head so that her lips were achingly close to his. "Not any further than my office."

Phoenix smiled as she kissed him again.

(Comments are welcomed and appreciated)


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